Hot Wheels Acceleracers: Drive to Survive
by Nightwillow7
Summary: Larissa has a passion for driving and cars. What will happen when she gets recruited for the Teku and the Metal Maniacs? Which team will she side with? Also this is a romance story. Question is: who could it be?
1. Character Profile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hot Wheels or anything associated with them **(A/N: I wish I did...)

_Larissa and any made up characters are property of **ME**!!!!!!!_

**Character Information**

**Driver**

Larissa Ducaine

**Driver's History**

Ever since she was a little kid, she's always been interested in auto mechanics, but being behind the wheel of a race car was her true passion. She won the skyliner in a bet and has raced in it ever since she could drive. She's her own mechanic.

**Driver Personality**

She has a fiery passion for cars and racing. She loves a good challenge and will never back down. She keeps a cool head on and off the road. She's slick and has always had a knack for not getting caught.

**Driver Looks**

5'5"  
Spiky, short brown hair  
blue eyes  
slender frame  
Racing suit: Blue Jacket with white dragon decal on back, white shirt underneath, pants are blue with white dragon decal as well, ankle high blue boots, helmet is blue with tinted visor (also has white dragon decal), fingerless blue gloves, and tinted sunglasses when helmet isn't on.

**Car**

Skyliner

**Car Color**

White with navy blue racing stripes  
navy blue dragon decal on side


	2. Chapter 1

The sun was sinking lower over the horizon as a sleek car cruised down the coastal road, gradually picking up speed as the engine pushed 80 mph. The driver inside had yet to see any cops out patrolling this out of the way route, but she kept her hand on the emergency brake just in case. As she pushed the throttle of the car, a satisfying rumble erupted from underneath the hood of the vehicle.

Larissa smiled to herself, the purr of the engine like music to her ears. She loved the Skyliner and would never trade it for anything else in the world. To her, it was the perfect racing tool. She had owned the car for no less than a year and had already won several underground races and a few spur of the moment races as well. Larissa let go of the steering wheel with her right hand and swiftly found the button to her tricked out stereo and began to scroll through the play list programmed into the device.

"Hmmm, what would be a good choice tonight?" she mused as her fingers brushed the dials down and up trying to decide.

As she directed her attention back to the road, Larissa couldn't help but notice in the darkness of dusk, she could make out the faint light of car headlights, all seeming to be radiating from an open ledge just off the coast wall that people could park and sight see the ocean beneath the cliff. A thoughtful expression passed over her face as she let her hand pause for a second.

"Is there a race going on?"

Whether or not there was, Larissa was determined to find out because if there was a race, that meant there would be other drivers and other drivers meant competition, something she enjoyed when driving. Pushing the thought aside of finding a good tune, Larissa sat back and floored the gas, hoping to catch the mysterious lights' source.

* * *

Tonight was the night….The race that would decide it all between the Teku and Metal Maniacs.

Several of the brightly painted cars of the Teku team lined the coastal sight-seer area and amongst the vehicles sat Vert Wheeler, Kurt Wylde, Karma Eisse, Nolo Pissaro, and others.

Nolo was the one getting ready for the big race, while a disgruntled Vert sat on the sidelines while Kurt tried to pay little attention to him.

"I don't get it. We're Teku too, so we should be able to race as well…" he sighed.

"Well, get used to it. Nolo's the leader and it's his call who races," Kurt replied, casting a sidelong glance as the Blonde surfer.

"Whatever, he's only leader because of his brother."

Vert stretched slightly and adjusted his seating of the front of the Deora II. His blue eyes roamed over the cars and the coastal scenery, searching for a distraction. Not finding any, he returned to looking at Nolo who was tweaking his stereos in his car. As if they weren't loud enough, but Nolo didn't care. So long as he had smooth beats to listen to, he was set.

Soon, the Synkro rumbled to life as Nolo started it up. The road ahead was soon bathed in blue from the car's headlights, and the golden dragon etched on the side seemed to come alive with the shaking of the engine. It was an impressive ride to say the least. Nolo frowned remembering the memories this vehicle held, but were soon replaced by a feeling as of anger as a familiar rugged looking ride pulled up, it's engine roaring loudly until it came to a thundering purr as the engine stalled and a figure stepped out onto the dark road.

It was Tork Maddox, the infamous Metal Maniac leader. Nolo had always carried a grudge against him and sometimes that is what made the Teku leader lose if the two went head to head, but this time Nolo was determined to put Tork in his place once and for all.

The two's gazes met and a surge of electricity seemed to run through the air as they paused in front of each other, Tork towering above Nolo, but that only made the Teku leader stand his ground more.

"Nolo"

"Tork"

"We here to race or to talk?" Tork asked, staring down at him.

"You tell me. You're the one running your mouth," Nolo replied dryly.

Tork paid no mind to the insignificant remark and head back for his car and climbed in, the engine thundering awake once again. Nolo eyed the car dangerously before heading for his own.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I do ****Not**** own Hot Wheels Acceleracers!!!**

* * *

The very air seemed to pulse as the two cars pulled up to the starting line, Tork behind the wheel of one and Nolo in the other. The two gang leaders glared at each other occasionally for dramatic effect, but the Metal Maniac mostly focused on the road. Nolo, on the other hand, was somewhere else completely…

***Flashback***

"_You tryin' to take my place?" Tone asked, arching an eyebrow towards his little brother._

"_I know I can beat Tork," Nolo replied, an overconfident pitch slipping out at the end._

_Tone could only laugh at his brother's statement. Nolo was just starting out in street racing and here he was thinking that he could take on Tork, of all the people, it had to be the Metal Maniac leader. It was kinda funny to think about._

"_C'mon Tone, let me race him!" _

_Tone gave his brother a sidelong glance before playfully punching his sibling in the arm while saying, "You wanna be the leader now little bro?"_

_After their talk, Nolo stood to the side of the street where the big race between Tone and Tork would take place. Still somewhat sour over not being able to race, Nolo still couldn't help but feel proud thinking Tone would be the victor in this showdown. What he didn't expect next though was to see his brother's car swerving out of control as the competitors rounded a tight corner. Next thing he knows, Tone's car is doing barrel rolls before coming to a fiery stop._

"_Tone!"_

***End Flashback***

As the faint memory ran through his mind, Nolo felt a surge of anger and renewed determination run through him as the "all clear" was called and the stalled engines rumbled to life as they took off, Tork leading by just a few centimeters.

* * *

The Skyliner streaked along the pavement at a breakneck speed as a green light shot up into the air. So it was a race. Larissa shifted gears again as she neared the site. Unbeknownst to her, the racers themselves were heading directly her way from the opposite end.

Farther down at the starting line, Monkey yawned casually as the noise died down, save for the light chatter and thumping techno music. The mechanic was sure Tork would win, so he didn't feel like getting worked up over it. The only thing that caught his attention was the erratic beeping of the walkie talkie clipped to his belt.

"Yello, this is Monkey…what?! I thought you said the road was clear!!! What do you mean it _**was**_?! Doh, this is bad, very, very, bad!!!!"

Monkey panicked and let the device fall to the ground. Taro, used to the mechanic's fidgety ways, only offered an annoyed look to the smallest Metal Maniac.

"Cops?"

"Worse…" Monkey whispered, eyes going wide.

"What's worse than the cops?"

"…Civilian driver…"

Taro's posture stiffened as he rose from the hood of his car. It was always more dangerous when a civilian got involved because it usually end in lawsuits, insurance claims, or spending more time in prison then when you get caught speeding if someone gets injured or…

Several feet away, Kurt happened to hear the commotion and he paled at the thought of what might happen to Markie if he was caught in a collision and his fear only worsened remembering that the hothead had chased after Nolo and Tork in some dim-witted attempt to prove himself. His mind made up, the older Wylde brother climbed into the Slingshot and the car flared to life.

"What are you doing Kurt?" Karma called over the rumbling engine.

"Going to help my brother!" and with that, Kurt gunned it and shot out, tires spewing debris as he rocketed down the highway.

Karma and Kurt shared a look of concern, before both hopping in their cars and following shortly behind. Taro watched the cars disappear around the bend, before he, himself, decided to follow in case some dispute broke out.

As his car tore out of the lot, Monkey eyed the remaining Teku members warily before hauling out in his own car, while shouting, "Wait for me!!!"

* * *

Rubber squealed on the pavement as Markie took the lead and he couldn't help but laugh as Nolo's car rammed into the Cliffside and Tork's did a flip into the side railing. He felt alive at this point, adrenaline coursing through him, blocking out common sense to pay attention to the road as Larissa's car appeared from out of another curve.

"What the-?!" but Markie didn't have time to finish as he swerved to avoid the oncoming car and went crashing into the railing that conviently stood between him and a watery grave with a side trip to immense pain. The cocky Metal Maniac breathed a short-lived sigh of relief as the metal started to give way and his car started to tilt forwards.

"OH SHI-!!!!" he exclaimed and the car disappeared over the ledge.

As Markie descended to what he believed to be his end, the was a sharp crack as metal pierced metal and them a twang as a rope pulled taught, bringing Markie's car to a halt. He couldn't understand what was happening, but was secretly thankful to the unseen force as he was hauled back up and over the ledge by a deployed grappling hook

"Geez, you really got to start paying attention to the road," an angry voice said outside his window.

Markie peered out the opening and only saw the torso of another person who was obviously addressing him. At first he didn't know what to think and before the Metal Maniac could answer, the figure leaned down and gave him an odd look, "You dead or am I just talking to myself?"

Markie's jaw dropped slightly as he met eyes with Larissa and all form of speech seemed to be completely lost. The brunette rolled her eyes and stepped back, allowing the gawking guy to get out of the vehicle. They stared each other down for a few moments before she strided over and pushed his mouth shut.

"Take a picture, it lasts longer," she winked, but then resumed an unsmiling face, "What the heck were you just doing?! You nearly ran me off the road!"

"It's called racing and I didn't happen to see you," he snapped back.

The two exchanged a few more angry words before the sound of snarling engines interrupted and several tricked out vehicles pulled up followed by two more banged up ones.

"Wylde, 'ey Wylde! Who's your new girlfriend?" Monkey called as he stepped out with Taro taking the lead.

"She _**ain't**_ my girlfriend and I sure as heck don't know who she is!!!" Markie replied, face reddening slightly. No one could be sure if it was out of anger of if he was blushing.

Larissa eyed all three of them oddly while her mind seemed to race almost as fast as the Skyliner: "_It can't be!!! Wylde? But how?! And why now?"_

She hushed her mind as the other three cars' drivers stepped out revealing Karma, Vert, and none other then Kurt. The approached the Larissa and the trio of Metal Maniacs, but kept their distance.

"_Why on earth do I feel like I am in so over my head…?"_ Larissa mentally sighed.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hot Wheels or anything associated with them**

* * *

Larissa watched the others warily, her mind still reeling in past memories and thoughts. There was mild banter between the Metal Maniacs as Monkey teased Markie more until the muscle-head threatened to beat him to a pulp if the mechanic didn't shut it. The Teku seemed to be the only ones attentive to the silent savior of their rival.

"Hey, you ok?" Vert was the first one to ask.

"Um, yeah, I just got a strange sense of déjà vu suddenly…"

The two eyed each other a moment before Vert shrugged and offered her a small smile and held his hand out, "I'm Vert Wheeler, you?"

Larissa tilted her head to the side at first, not sure if she could trust the blonde, but eventually took Vert's hand in hers and shook it gingerly, "Larissa, Larissa Ducaine"

He seemed kind enough just by the brief encounter, but at least the way he dressed wasn't as off-putting as some of the Metal Maniacs'. Larissa released her grip and looked to the other two. Kurt seemed to be off in some different world as he stared absent-mindedly out at the coast. Karma sighed slightly before approaching.

"Sorry about him, I'm Karma Eisse and he's Kurt Wylde. He's a bit stunned right now I take it from nearly losing his brother," she said.

Larissa nodded in understanding and watched as Karma went back to try and get Kurt out of his trance. An uneasy feeling started to wedge itself in the pit of Larissa's stomach as she looked at him. Something was off, but she couldn't quite place what it was.

"Sweet ride. How much horse power can this puppy dish out?" Vert asked, admiring the Skyliner's sleek design.

"About 530, give or take really. Yours?" Larissa responded slowly at first, grateful for a distraction.

"Around 500, but it can take a punch at least," Vert laughed.

Vert's care free attitude seemed to be rubbing off as Larissa felt the knot in her stomach ease up slightly. She watched the blonde racer as he looked over the rest of the Skyliner and even allowed him to take a look beneath the hood. She herself couldn't help but giggle at the look of shock that crossed his face when the engine beneath was revealed.

"You like? I won this baby in a race not to far back," Larissa smiled, leaning against the driver's side door.

"I gotta say, I am definitely jealous. What kind of speakers do you got?" Vert smirked, shutting the hood.

"Just a few subwoofers in the back and different ones installed here and there. I like my music loud," her eyes seemed to radiate in color as she popped the door and climbed inside.

Larissa gave the key a turn and Skyliner's engine thundered awake, the interior lighting up along with the glittering headlights. Vert's mouth dropped slightly as he looked the car over again with a laughing Larissa the entire time. But there joy was short-lived as Larissa noticed out of the corner of her eye something small approaching from the rocky cliffs fast.

"_What is that thing? It looks like a…a robot?!" _Larissa frowned getting out of her car at once.

Vert directed his gaze to her before following hers right to the floating robot. Surprise was one of the few emotions that hit him as it silently headed his way.

"No way…Gig?!" he gasped as he got a full look at it.

Vert's sudden outburst managed to the catch the attention of Kurt, Markie, and Taro all at the same time, each in equal shock to see Tezla's personal "assistant" again. Soon the others gathered around as Vert asked a few more questions.

"Dr. Tezla needs your help!"

"Oh yeah? Where was he when we needed more nitrox to keep racing on Highway 35?" Kurt replied rather bitterly, "He wouldn't even talk to us."

"I'm sorry but Dr. Tezla needed _all_ the nitrox for his research…"

Kurt offered no comment on the matter as the robot turned back to Vert again, "This concerns the wheel of power and Gelorum. I think it would be best for all if Dr. Tezla explained further at his lab. The predetermined coordinates have been logged into you onboard GPSs. Please hurry."

Before the others could even form a single word, Gig disappeared over the cliffs and became part of the night scene not to long after. The Teku and Metal Maniacs were stunned alike by the sudden reappearance and disappearance of Gig. Vert's green eyes glazed over in thought before he made up his mind. He shared a few looks with Kurt and even Taro before heading for the Deora 2. Taro and Kurt nodded to each other as well before heading for their rides.

Just as Vert had reached the car, the sound of another engine woke everyone from the thoughts as Nolo whipped around the corner, sparks searing on the road from loose metal hanging off his bashed up car. As it pulled to a halt, an angered Nolo stepped out and seemed to stagger slightly as he shifted weight off an obviously sprained ankle.

"What's going on here?" he demanded, directing his gaze from Karma, to Vert, then Kurt.

"Something important's come up," Vert answered for them.

"What's that supposed to mean? Cause nothing is more important than the Teku!"

"This is…" Vert stated and turned his back on Nolo.

Nolo scowled in frustration at the surfer's tone. No one treated him that way, especially not some rookie racer like Vert. Growling to himself; he turned back to his car to further elaborate what he would do. Larissa watched in silence, before striding over to Vert.

"Hey Vert, things sound kinda of dangerous and it seems you lot might need some help. So you wouldn't mind if I tagged along would you?" she asked, unsure of the answer.

"Heh, why not? It'll be fun to see what you can do," He smiled back.


	5. Chapter 4

The air was thick from the desert heat and bright, red sun as the squad of drivers sped along its flat plains to the beeping spec indicated on their GPSs. It all seemed very strange to Larissa her car kept pace behind Vert's, almost as if this wasn't happening right that moment. The only thing that kept her mind from wandering was the quaint conversation going on between the teku.

"So what's the big deal with this Highway 35?" Karma asked, looking towards the others adjacent of her through the windshield.

"The real Highway 35 was a track built in another dimension by these weird ancient dudes called the Accelerons," Vert explained, a smile appearing.

"Tezla recruited the best drivers for this race," Kurt interjected.

"Yeah, it was me, Kurt, Taro, and-" Vert started to say.

"So who won?" Karma asked.

"Doesn't matter who won. All Tezla wanted was the wheel of power at the end of the track," Kurt explained, a frown growing as he did.

"Wow, this sounds as if it something from a bad sci-fi flick," Larissa expressed, shifting gears so that she was driving alongside Vert.

Just as the conversation started to settle down, out of her rearview mirror, Larissa happened to catch a glimpse of a speeding blur coming up fast behind the drivers. It was hard to tell what the entity was because it was obscured by the kicked up desert sand. Only when it reached them could she tell what and who it was.

Markie…and he didn't look all that pleased at having been left behind.

"Don't look now, but here comes the hothead himself now," she sighed.

Markie began to weave a path through the group, causing them to disperse slightly or risk getting rear-ended. The Metal Maniac poured on the gas as he passed by his Teku of a brother, tires spewing rocks and dirt. Satisfied with his showing off, Wylde shot out of the group, clipping the side of Larissa's car as he did.

"Hey, watch it! This isn't a race, y'know!" she gritted her teeth as her car stopped skidding to the right.

"It's always a race for me," he replied, sunglasses flashing in the faint sunlight.

On the horizon stood a vacant building that had been worn away with the passing of the desert's winds so much that only the frame remained of the impressive onyx material used to make it. Larissa was stunned to see such an eyesore as they all parked inside. Getting out, she craned her head to get a better look.

"Huge, isn't it?" Vert pointed out.

"Yeah…"

The two stood side by side as the other drivers got out, engines being cut off and allowing silence to loom for a short time, all the while a mystery character watching them from the shadows, his face partially hidden.

"Vert!" he said rather happily, emerging from the shadows and revealing him to be a very tanned man being in at the most his late twenty's. He had dark brown eyes and long brown dreadlocks. The man also sported an orange racing suit.

"Hey, good to see ya," Vert offered, approaching the individual and bumping fists in a friendly greeting.

Larissa examined the person carefully before moving on to his ride parked behind him. An impressive car, she had to admit. Leaning against her own, she waited for any further explanation.

"Is that Tezla?" Monkey piped up, appearing from around his car.

"My name is Kadeem," the man said, his accent thick and smooth. "Who are you?"

"He just a freaky, little Metal Maniac, Kadeem," Kurt hissed, eyeing Monkey with distaste.

"That means he's the best! Like me and Taro, uh?" Wylde defended rather arrogantly.

"The real drivers are Teku!" Kurt fought back, standing at his full height.

The tension was mounting as the rivals stared each other down. The entire time Larissa only watched in slight disbelief at such childish behavior. It was enough to give her a headache and she swore she could feel one building. Rolling her eyes, Larissa approached Kadeem and held out her hand, "My name's Larissa, allow me to possibly be the only sane one in this bunch here."

Kadeem only chuckled heartily as he shook her hand, "I see how it is."

"So, uh, did you get everything straightened out back home?" Vert said.

"Ugh, my people will have to wait because this cannot…"

"Enlighten us," Larissa said, arms folded across her chest.

"Right now, I just need all of you to follow me," Kadeem stated and headed for his car.


	6. Chapter 5

Sky and rock seem to blend together in Larissa's eyes as she drove behind Kadeem's car. Glancing at her speedometer occasionally, the tool seemed to escalate with speed each twist and turn of the steering wheel. At this rate, even she didn't dare open her window to catch the cool night breeze. Shifting the gear to four, Larissa settled back into her seat, becoming accustomed to the high range speed at last. Her hands twitched slightly with each bump she hit, but she did her best to keep the wheel under control or risk spinning out.

"Man, I don't think my car was built for off-roading like this," she spoke through gritted teeth as another shock passed through the Skyliner's axel, "Actually might not be to long before I blow a tire…

Vert was not far behind, the Deora 2 keeping a steady pace behind, followed by Kurt, Karma, Taro, Monkey, and Markie bringing up the rear. The engines of their tricked out cars was all that could be heard in the vast rocky region, save for the echoes of the roar bouncing off the limestone boulders. None were sure where exactly Kadeem was leading them, but they were curious as to what might be at the end, so they all kept a heavy foot on the gas and a hovering one over the brake.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Kurt finally asked Kadeem through the built-in comm-system.

"Tezla has built a new headquarters where no one can find him," Kadeem replied, making a swift left turn.

"So how do we find it?" Larissa jumped in, "Is it invisible or something?"

"So to speak, yes," Kadeem clarified.

His vehicle seemed to pick up speed again as it hit an incline and it appeared almost as if it was a ramp built for such a purpose. His tires squealed sharply as he poured on the gas and his car went sailing off the slope, over the gorge, and through solid rock itself.

"What the-? That's impossible! Where did he go?" Larissa gasped, foot inching towards the brake with each nanosecond.

"Just follow him, Kadeem knows what he's doing, trust me," Vert reassured, his voice filling the speakers suddenly and then fizzled out the line was cut.

Larissa mentally sighed at her next action. She readjusted her hands on the wheel and pressed the gas as far down as it would go. The Skyliner suddenly jerked forward with the momentum and rocketed right over the gorge. For a split-second, Larissa was tempted to shut her eyes, but determination kept her eyes rooted on the rocky wall before her. Just as soon as she made contact, her car phased through the image like mist and with a few bumps and sparks, Larissa was able to bring her car to a halt short of Kadeem's car.

"That was….new…" she breathed as she got out, her yellow shades seeming to darken in the lowlight.

Kadeem's hearty laughter filled the void until the rest of the other drivers made it inside with rather screechy stops. Larissa looked to Vert whose entire focus was directed to the space around them. A space filled with intricately curved ramps and an assortment of metals and odd tools, as this were all a makeshift garage. She soon joined him at his side, mind taking in everything it could at once.

"Impressive, I guess," she shrugged, head inclined sideways to Vert who nodded in agreement.

"Welcome to the Acceledrome!" a loud voice resonated as a sudden light burst to life in the center of the building, taking on the shape of a person's face.

"That's Tezla, isn't it?" Larissa half-guessed.

"Yeah, he was always the one for an appearance," Vert laughed.

"Gelorum and her drones have the Wheel of Power. Before the Wheel was taken, I discovered that it's more than just a source of power. It's the key to something much bigger than Highway 35. Countless new tracks, unique new worlds, that I call the Racing Realms. Reaching the end of Highway 35 was only the first step mapped out for us by the Accelerons. The journey of discovery begins here…"

Just as the tirade ended, the man's image faded into a three-dimensional triple ring, which was illuminated a bright gold. Larissa eyed the device scrutinly, before following along with the others who were being ushered by Gig to a look-out meeting room just above where they were all parked. Upon arrival, many took their own seats, typically, the Metal Maniacs on one side and Teku on another. Vert sat down and looked to Larissa, a seat open next to him. She smiled but politely declined as she leaned against the broad window, just opposite of Kadeem's seat. Wanting to see better, she pushed up her sunglasses revealing a set of brilliant blue eyes.

In the middle of them was an oblong, titanium table, which on a pedestal, glowed a miniaturized version of the Wheel of Power. Karma took notice of it immediately and then looked back to the larger model, "So which one's the real one?"

"Neither, both are exact, three-dimensional recreations, or holograms for short," a figure stated as she strode into the meeting room with the floating Gig beside her. She had oil black hair which was pulled back in a tight ponytail. The woman also appeared to be a mechanic of sorts, judging by the grease stained overalls. At least she was a much cleaner version of Monkey.

"Lani! Oh, it's good to see another Waveripper!" Vert exclaimed.

Lani offered a small smile to him, but she immediately grimaced when her eyes fell on a certain Metal Maniac, "I'm not driving Vert, I've been working with Tezla in the Acceledrome. He didn't tell me who was coming…"

Larissa followed Lani's gaze and found Taro on the receiving end of it. She began to wonder what kind of history these two had to spark such venomous electricity from Lani's tone. Shrugging it off, she returned to half-staring out the window, oblivious to a person occasionally looking in her direction.

"While studying the wheel, Dr. Tezla recorded the unique pattern of its wavelengths and vibrations," Gig explained.

"Yeah yeah yeah, scrap the lecture gig, we're here to race," Wylde grunted, propping his feet up on the table.

"Typical…" Kurt muttered to himself, settling back into the leather chair.

"The holographic image resonates with the same emanations as the actual Wheel of Power," Gig finished, hovering towards the mini model of the wheel.

"Is he speakin' English? He's speakin' English, right?" Monkey thought out loud, earning a few irritated groans from the surrounding patrons.

"The robot means that that little hologram there is pretty much the wheel of power…" Larissa spoke out of turn, eyes directed to Monkey out of the corner of her eye.

"And that means…?" Karma let the sentence trail.

"Dr. Tezla believes the wheel of power has been opening the racing realms," Lani informed.

"And that Gelorum and her racing drones have been entering them," Gig added.

"We must reach the end of the next realm before her drones do," Kadeem warned.

The heavy news began to sink in as everyone shifted uneasily in their seats, unsure of how to react to what was said. Vert seemed relatively relaxed for the current situation, but occasionally he would see Wylde staring him down, as if threatening the blonde driver. The behavior was strange enough to ruin what was left of Vert's attempt to stay calm and he resorted to fidgeting with the edge of his white jacket, while Larissa had begun to pace back and forth behind the chairs.

No one got in her way, all except Taro who had recently taken a false liking for standing in front of the window, stern glare reflected on the glass. The tension seemed to mount more as Kurt crossed his arms and let loose a choice comment, "Why should we? Last time it was to get the wheel for Tezla…what's the doctor want now?"


	7. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOTWHEELS!**

Kurt's comment seemed to stun everyone in the room slightly. It did seem rather suspicious at this recent turn of events for Dr. Tezla. Larissa had no former knowledge of the alleged doctor so even she was somewhat uneasy to help him. The older Wylde brother was quite keen on keeping to his hesitation, which only added to the recent built up tension for both the Teku and Metal Maniacs. As the minutes passed, Taro only ever moved to face the group of people seated around the table, while Larissa resumed her usual pacing, occasionally pausing to say something, and then promptly shutting her mouth against it.

Vert listened and waited for someone to make a move or even breathe. No one did, and the anxiety even began to show in his usually carefree eyes. Sighing in frustration to himself, the blonde ran a hand through his hair roughly before glancing up at Larissa who had stopped short of his seat to the right. The two racers shared a longer glance to each other, almost as if they were trying to read each one's thoughts. Larissa was the first to break the gaze and her eyes fell upon Markie seated across the table. His left eyebrow raised in confusion to her as she scowled, but she shook her head, dismissing any questions immediately.

"Just what exactly are these drones?" she voiced indirectly, waiting for anyone to answer.

"Well, I guess you could call 'em killer robots bent on taking over the world," Vert offered, shifting in his seat more. "They're led by Gelorum, this lady who really has a thing against Tezla and me, you could say."

"Why you?"

"Um, before all this, there was the world race. I got the Wheel of Power at the end and Gelorum was set on getting it, so she nearly killed me and several others as we raced to put it back in Highway 35…" the 18 yr. old surfer replied.

The news certainly shed a new light for Larissa to follow as she pursued the confounding goal ahead. Nodding briefly, she went back to pacing and stopped in front of the window, her front side bathed in the golden glow of the much larger ring.

"So if what Dr. Tezla is saying happens to be true, then we have a major issue before us, don't we?" she inquired, head tilted over her shoulder.

Several confirmations could be heard from the assortment of drivers around Larissa and this only managed to make a new knot form in her stomach. The more the option was discussed, the less chance they all had to opt out of supposedly going up against the drones and Gelorum in the race of a lifetime and trying to survive the entire time. The more thought she put into it, the less Larissa liked the odds they all possessed.

"The drones have already accessed several racing realms. Dr. Tezla believes that with each new realm, they become more powerful," Gig reported.

"What ever is at the end of the racing realms must be even more powerful…" Kadeem whispered.

"Now more than ever, the best drivers are needed-

Suddenly, a high pitched siren began to sing its ghastly wails, the sound amplified ten fold by the cavernous garage. A loud rumble could be heard just beneath the opposite sound. No one heard Larissa gasp at the sight of the large ring beginning to rotate in opposite directions, the glow even brighter than before.

"It's moving," Taro said aloud when the sounds lessened.

"A new realm is about to open…" Lani uttered, standing near the Metal Maniac.

"Alright! C'mon, lets go!" Wylde shouted, a grin growing more and more as he leapt up from this chair.

As the others began to scramble down to the garage, Vert made his way over to Lani and placed a hand on her shoulder, "We need Nitrox."

The alarm was beginning to grate on Larissa's nerves as she rolled underneath her car to install two canisters of fresh Nitrox and make sure they would be attached properly to the tank beneath. With a few more twists of the wrench, the canisters were secure in a matter of minutes and the neutral driver began to dust her self off.

"What exactly does this Nitrox 2 do, Vert?" she asked, concern staining the words.

"Oh you'll see," Vert chuckled, popping the door on the Deora 2 and climbing in.

"There's that knot again…" she sighed, whilst getting into her vehicle as well.

"The racing realm is open!" Gig exclaimed to the waiting drivers.

Soon, throaty engines rumbled to life, the sound almost as deafening as the sirens. Flames spewed forth from several of the Metal Maniacs cars while whooping stereos blasted music from the Teku. Each team was psyched up and ready to rumble with the drones. Putting the petal to the metal, Kadeem was the first to shoot out of the ramp's accelerator. The sudden burst in speed was enough to ram his head against the headrest as he built up momentum, heading directly for the luminescent portal levitating within the Wheel.

"You must be going 300 mph when you reach the wheel!" Kadeem declared to the rest of the drivers.

Larissa could feel the pull of gravity on her body as she was pressed back into her seat, but never before had she felt so alive at a speed like this. Already, her speedometer read 190 and was still climbing. At this rate, the instrument may was well break from the strain. A smile of pure thrill burst forth as she laughed out loud, rounding another bend and then coming down a loop.

"This is going to be insane," she verbalized as her car phased out of sight into the portal.

Meanwhile, in the upper observatory, Lani sat back in a seat, eyes dancing across the monitors as one by one, the cars disappeared in a flash of light. Her body heaved a sigh as she caught a glimpse of an overhead timer that had begun to tick away as soon as the first driver entered the realm.

"This isn't right," she contemplated. "We should have told them. Everthing…"


	8. Chapter 7

**I DO NOT OWN HOTWHEELS!**

The light of the portal opening was almost blinding as each car shot through at bullet-like speed. Larissa cringed slightly as she pulled down her tinted shades, which did little to muffle the glare. Placing a hand on the steering wheel, a great vibration racked the frame of the Skyliner as they all approached the oncoming realm. Suddenly, the vast expanse of light was replaced by amazing hues of velvety blues, purples, and blacks in a rippling effect across a wide sky. Larissa's eyes shot open when she saw the sight before her and had to rapidly shut them as a burst of lightning ricocheted across the sky, only to disappear the next moment. Spots consumed her vision at first until she became used to the dark-toned atmosphere and the full realization hit.

"Oh my god…where's the track?" she shouted over the cacophony of thunder mixed with Monkey's shrieks of fear.

As Larissa leaned forward in her seat, her car began to slant more and soon a strip of orange lined with yellow arrows could be seen far below. Having a slight idea of what might happen, she tightened the belt holding her to the seat and braced for imminent collision with the track. More lightning ripped across the skies as, one by one, each driver and their car drifted down to the ramp below.

"This should be fun," Vert half-joked, voice ringing into Larissa's car-com.

She only smirked slightly at the surfer's attempt to make a joke and gritted her teeth as the front wheels of her car set down onto the track followed by the back set. A loud ruckus ensued as the metal scraped against the road and tires squealed as they skidded to and fro, as the ride began to drift dangerously close to the side of the ramp. Jerking the wheel at the last second, Larissa managed to straighten out her car and started to drive a set course.

Close behind Vert and Taro touched down with the same force and each driver struggled to get their whipping rides under control. Managing to do so, the two raced ahead followed behind all the other rather banged up vehicles. The track ahead seemed to stretch on forever into the black abyss until it was luminated by a strike of lightning, revealing a swirling vortex of pure electricity amidst a rather twisted part of the track. Lightning rods continued to attract more and more bolts, providing a rather arduous distraction for the Teku and Metal Maniacs.

"Man, this place is even cooler than Highway 35," Vert said, guiding the Deora 2 along the twisting track and occasionally glancing towards the electrified vortex.

"Keep telling yourself that Vert," Larissa returned, "Just stay focused on the road or you could end up with more than just static shock."

The pair drove alongside each other while behind Kurt and Karma followed. The older Wylde brother couldn't tell what was louder: the thunder or Taro's car behind him. Growing frustrated by the growing conundrum, Kurt found himself on the receiving end of a fresh lightning bolt. The electric hands snaked their way across the entire frame of the Slingshot in a frantic effort, causing a crack to form in Kurt's window shield and the engine to die suddenly.

Kurt came to a screeching halt as Taro rocketed by. The Teku member reached for the ignition and gave the key a rather angry turn, only earning him a sharp sputtering of the engine, then nothing. Slamming his fist in anger on the dash, Kurt watched in silence as his younger brother drove by and to which he could swear that Markie was laughing at his older brother's misfortune.

High in the sky, none of the racers happened to notice a strange metallic device recording their every twist and turn of a tire. The video was being broadcasted via private network to a squadron far ahead on the Storm Realm race track. A pair of metallic green eyes reviewed the new data and opened up a comlink.

"Mistress Gelorum, the recon drone has spotted something," the drone hissed into microchip.

"What is it then?"

"…..Humans, Mistress Gelorum. They have arrived…"

"Destroy them. Gelorum out."

The line went dead as the receiver clicked off and the drone reestablished connection with his driving wheel, "You all have your orders. Exterminate the humans and be done with it. We have an accelecharger to claim!"


	9. Chapter 8

**I DO NOT OWN HOTWHEELS!**

"Ok, so far so good," Larissa stated as she jerked the wheel sharply to avoid another lightning blast from above.

The Skyliner swerved again as more static discharged from the lightning rods, splashing the track in front of her. Next to Larissa's car was Vert's Deora 2, which seemed to be holding it's own despite the oversized rear it sported. Through the glass, the blonde inside felt a smile plaster his face as he veered back and forth in an effort to avoid the lightning as well. Overhead, the angry sky glared down their way and continued to roil in bitter laughs as the storm raged. His eyes stayed glued to the road, but his attention turned upwards as he noticed in the distance a murky fog brewing across portions of the track.

"That looks nasty," he admitted.

"What does?" Larissa replied, looking for herself. "Oh that…"

Not far down the track, Kadeem and Markie held the lead as their rides matched each other wheel for wheel, but soon it became impossible to tell who would win the undeclared race as the fog obscured the pair as they passed through it's smoky embrace. The young Metal Maniac didn't seem to care as he threw caution to the wind and pressed down on the gas, making the Spinebuster lurch forward with the effort.

"Go Wylde!" he shouted over the roar of his engine.

Kadeem, being the only driver present, heard the self-proclaimed exclamation and shook his head in disbelief. All he could think is just what happened to cause the once innocent Markie Wylde to behave this way. As he shift to fall behind the other racer, his eyes focused on the fogged road ahead and in the murkiness ahead, could make out only briefly the shape of a rapidly approaching object. He cocked his head in confusion before realizing what it was.

"Look out!" he warned, grip tightening on the wheel as he ripped it to the left of the track.

Wylde barely had time to register what was happening as the projectile rammed his ride head on and launched the vehicle sky high in a series of twisting volleys. Behind the speeding object followed a hulking monstrosity of an SUV that was painted a metallic black with vibrant green detailing. It sped past Wylde as he came to a crashing halt, rear tire dangling uselessly off the Storm Realm track while Kadeem shot ahead in a dizzying display of spins caused by colliding with the Drone vehicle.

The Drone continued to speed along the road, the accelecharger he possessed allowing him to see the road devoid of all fog which presented the automaton a daring advantage over all the other occupants of the racing realm. One such occupant was rapidly approaching the oncoming robot driver, completely unaware of the circumstances ahead. Taro shifted gears and his eyes scanned the mist as it flashed and pulsed like a strobe light from the lightning overhead. The hair on his neck prickled in agitation as a gut feeling worked its way through his system that something wasn't right. Kadeem has made a large deal over the Drones being in the realm and the Metal Maniac had yet to see any of them for himself. Just as he was about to consider another thought, he felt his luck run out as the front end of the RD-L1's SUV come barreling out of the fog straight at him. With quick thinking, Taro jerked the wheel to the right and the Plymouth Roadrunner screeched in the split-decision course.

As soon as he made the turn, it was over as Taro's ride skidded into one of the rods lining the levitating track. Jerking forward in his seat, the disgruntled Metal Maniac growled as he rubbed his throbbing head. With distance growing between them, RD-L1 disengaged the accelecharger and he found his view ports flooded in the white miasma of the Storm Realm's fog. Farther back up the track, Kadeem was roaring across the road, mind set on closing the gap between him and the other lesser Drones. Flicking a switch, he opened up the radio and said despairingly, "The Racing Drones are here."

There were collective groans as the others received his broadcast save for one scrawny mechanic who had taken a liking for the steady cruising of the track despite every time the lightning and thunder made him hunker further down into the seat, "Where? I don't seen any Racing-"

Before he had time to finish his sentence, the SUV of RD-L1 came whizzing past his own ride, causing Monkey's eyes to widen and he slid down to hide from view before finishing in a meek tone, "Drones…!"

Meanwhile, Kadeem had finally gained on the advancing line of the other Drones and he snuck up on them in the only way imaginable: headlong intervention. Pressing down on the gas, the orange-jumpsuited driver matched his speed to theirs and fell behind their line. Near ahead, he spotted an upcoming ramp and saw his chance. Each vehicle made the jump, with the exception of one as it was struck down by a surge of electricity. Kadeem's car flew over one of the Drone racers and landed in front, ultimately exposing his presence. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Kadeem scowled and shouted to the automaton behind him, "Maybe I'll draft with you for a little while!"

As the line of the Drones disappeared into the flickering distance with Kadeem amidst them, RD-L1's ride was nowhere to be seen. The SUV was driving along a portion of the track completely veiled by the fog and in it was hid a Dragster Hyperpod, which the Drone lieutenant boarded with no thought computed. As soon as his vehicle was in place and the proper amount of energy given, the Drone rocketed down the tracking, soon making up lost time to catch up with his Drones and surprise the one human he had merely driven past on the trip before.

Strings of curses filled the dark skies as Wylde tried to bring his engine to life in a frenzy of agitated turns of the car key. His efforts were rewarded by the dull throb of thunder overhead and a stalled engine. Glaring at the dashboard, the Metal Maniac looked up in time to see Monkey roll past followed by a speeding black SUV, now released from the hyperpod.

"Ah jeez," he muttered and tried a few more times and smirked as the Spinebuster revved awake, rubber eager to make contact with road.

Adjusting his shades, Wylde stomped on the accelerator and tore from the spot on the road, determined to catch up and dismantle RD-L1 limb from limb for trying to run him of all people off the road. The trio charged down the open track, Monkey in the lead and totally oblivious to the presence of the Racing Drone behind him. His only focus was on the portion of the track visible to his front. RD-L1's digits flexed across the dashboard of his vehicle and several lights pulsed as an indefinite whine could be heard from within. Soon, small ports opened on the front fender of the SUV and out protruded to energy devices which stored up power and then launch the pulsing torpedo of plasma towards the human vehicle in front of him.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, the Metal Maniac mechanic gasped as he saw the shot rapidly approaching. His only instinct at the moment was flight and fly he did as he barreled forward along the track, trying with all his might to stay ahead of the plasma charge. Monkey had no such luck though as the missal collided and obliterated his entire vehicle, metal parts flying as his seat skidded along the track. Eyes shut tight; the grease monkey gripped the steering wheel and felt his feet dragging on something. Peeking out from under a wary eyelid, he went slack-jawed as he came to a stop.

The Racing Drone passed by and he breathed a sigh of relief as the menacing car disappeared. Content to relax for a moment, Monkey blinked and tried to figure out what he would do next with no car when he saw his shadow begin to elongate on the ground and a familiar engine rumbled into his hearing range.

"Oh no…" Monkey breathed and began to tear madly at his seat belt, but it wouldn't unlatch.

Having no other idea, he tried to scoot the entire seat out of the way of the speeding car only to find himself speeding along with it as the harness hooked onto the body of the Spinebuster. Having driven smoothly the entire way, Wylde narrowed his eyes in confusion as he felt something hitch in the tires and a loud grating noise buzzed outside his window. With momentary regards, the Metal Maniac stared dumbfounded at the sight of Monkey only in his seat, scraping along the road attached to the Spinebuster's door.

"Climb in!" he shouted over the roar of the wind.

"Slow down!"

"Your seat's causing too much drag! I'm gonna scrape you off!"

"What? Wait!" Monkey answered and made a renewed effort to attack and dislodge the harness connecting him to the chair.

Finally succeeding, the mechanic blindly grabbed the car door opening and hung on for sheer life as the seat was whipped out from underneath him and rolled to a stop far behind Markie's car. Breathing hard, Monkey hauled himself through the window into a space directly behind the driver's seat. As soon as he was settled in, he took a moment to breath before gripping the seat and giving a shaky greeting, "Hey, hey! How ya doing, Wylde?"

As the two raced to catch up with the others, a confrontation was raging elsewhere. Vert raced along the illuminated track, catching ground quickly as his Deora 2 matched the speed of the Racing Drone in front of him. Flagging the rear of the vehicles was Larissa in her car not to far behind. She watched attentively as the Drone challenged Vert by ramming into the side of the surfer's ride and sent it spinning towards one of the multitude of lightning rods. Taking her chance, Larissa pressed down on the gas and slammed into the back of RD-L1's car and sent the automaton reeling forward. Speeding to catch up, Vert glowered at the black and green form as it returned a glancing blow to the Skyliner.

"No way," he muttered and used the full weight of his car to slam the extended rear of the Deora 2 into the Drone's car.

Going in for another collision, Vert nearly ran himself off the road as the enemy's vehicle swerved out of the way and swung around to the right of the Teku member. The Racing Drone inside the SUV engaged another accelecharger and soon the automobile began to develop an aura of blue around it. This, however did not deter the blonde surfer as he pulled on the steering wheel to ram the Drone again only to find himself teetering on the edge of the track soon after.

"Oh my god, Vert!" Larissa shrieked as she slammed on the brakes.

She could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Deora 2 tilted and disappeared over the edge. Blue eyes wide with panic, Larissa dislodged herself from her harness and sprinted to the edge too see what had happened. What she saw before her was a shocking relief and she witnessed Vert's vehicle propel itself to the ground gently using the quad of jump jets built into the frame of the Deora 2. As Vert connected with the track, he let loose the breath he'd been holding and looked up to see Larissa peering down at him. He radioed her car to let her know he was fine, when the Teku member noticed a tinge of blue appearing not far from where Larissa had parked and soon the Drone SUV appeared in it's midst.

The black and green vehicle sped forward and made a straight line for the growing shape of the other Drones and Kadeem's car not too far away. Larissa watched as he sped away before rushing back to the Skyliner to answer Vert's transmission.

"You sure you're fine?" she questioned over the line, strapping herself back into the seat and pulling her amber shades down.

"Yeah, just dinged. Go get that Drone for me, will you?" he answered, the Deora 2's engine apparent in the background.

"Will do, Vert," Larissa promised, before clicking off.

Throwing the car into gear, the Skyliner shot off, chassis rumbling as the engine bellowed to beat out the oncoming thunder of the realm's atmosphere. Kadeem found himself in no better a situation as the Drones around his car boxed him in and he had a sneaking suspicion something bad was going to happen, so he kept a close eye on the Drone racer behind him. His suspicions were confirmed as a blast of plasma stormed his way from said Drone and he swerved to the left causing the Drone in front of him to take the intended blow and the screeching automaton swerved off the track only to have his vehicle explode moments later.

The Drone behind Kadeem, not out of resources for bringing the former Dune Ratz leader down, fired a grappling hook which planted itself firmly into the back of Kadeem's car. Gritting his teeth, he felt the twanging vibrations rock the chassis of his car and Kadeem, stared back in anxiety as RD-L1 rolled up alongside the minor Drone and caused his car to plummet off the side of the track, taking Kadeem with him. He felt his stomach bottom out as his ride went from solid ground to free fall in a manner of seconds. Mind racing, he hit the switch for his vehicle's built-in parachute and Kadeem felt the harness bite into his torso as it deployed and the cable attaching himself to the Drone snapped and the enemy fell away into darkness.

Kadeem continued to hang vertically in his seat, a sliver of the realm's track visible below him. Not to far away on a different level, Vert's car drove along before coming to an unprecedented halt as the blonde surfer hit the brakes and angled himself to fully see Kadeem.

"I've got you!" Vert radioed in and Kadeem caught a glimpse of the grappling hook deployed his way. "Yes!"

Vert's shout of joy was short-lived as the hook soared past and Kadeem's car continued to float down past Vert's section of the track. On the track above, RD-L1 waited in his SUV, but taking the initiative, the Drone lieutenant fired a plasma bolt which locked onto Kadeem's parachute. The glowing projectile made contact and sizzled through the white material, utterly frying it and snapping the cords. The sudden loss of Kadeem's one lifeline sent him plummeting to the lower road.

Back at the Acceledrome, Lani watched through Kadeem's onboard camera in fear as the track grew large in the camera's view and she tried in vain to make radio contact and only managed to scrounge up a garbled signal.

"Kadeem? Kadeem! Can you hear me?" she pleaded into the headset.

"I'm trying to get my…aughhh!"

Just as soon as Kadeem made the contact, the screen went black and the line dead. Cold trepidation seized Lani's heart as she stared wide-eyed at the blank screen. She ripped the headset off in anger and clamped her eyes shut as she leaned over the keyboard, a single tear sliding down her face.

"_No…not another one…_"


	10. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOT WHEELS**

The Storm Realm had officially become a free-for-all fighting zone as thunder laughed down at the racing combatants and spewed lightning down at all of them. Several free-floating pillars absorbed stray blasts of lightning and amped up the charge into a raging sphere of electric force. When the force of the electric charge became too much for the pillar to hold, it released the current and it soared directly down to connect with the track's lightning rods just as several of the Drones passed followed by Taro. The metal maniac shifted gears as he sped towards the rear Drone and his front fender slammed into the back fender of the Drone's car. The vehicle lurched forward, scraping into the two lead cars and causing them to skid left and right.

Just as the Drones regrouped, the struck rod discharged the sphere of electricity along the track and the deadly projectile nearly connected with the middle Drone. It was not meant to be as the RD-02 swerved to the left and the highly-charged torpedo made contact with Taro instead. It surged loose energy everywhere; encasing the Road Runner in a physical aura of lightning. The charge had enough momentum to send the vehicle tumbling end over end across the track. As the tumult came to an end, the last thing Taro saw was a glimpse of the disappearing Drones before he passed out against the seat. The engine of the Plymouth car died and the instruments spun erratically as the lightning continued to scramble every possible circuit until everything was nothing but molten slag beneath both dash and hood.

On a different portion of the track, raced a lone RD-S1 being pursued by Karma in the Chicane. The Drone spotted Karma not far back and the automaton unleashed a flurry of Anti-vehicle mines that encased themselves in the road and primed for detonation in case the sensor was tripped. Acting quickly the brunette Teku member twisted the steering wheel accordingly and with precise turns, avoided every single mine. She had just passed the very last one when the Drone activated them and a cluster of explosions shook the frame of the Chicane. The blast of the mines was enough to send Karma spinning out of control and into a nearby lightning rod. Just as she regained her settings, Larissa and Kurt sped by and Kurt radioed her in haste.

"Karma, are you alright?" he commed.

"Yeah…go win the race," Karma responded, slightly disoriented.

The SpineBuster shot across the track, engine burning brightly next to the pair of Metal Maniacs it carried for passengers. Monkey watched the road slip by in unease and every time lightning flashed, he would hunker down behind the seat slightly, grateful for Wylde being behind the wheel because it seemed as if nothing could faze this hard core driver. Up ahead, the frame of a vehicle could be seen and as the pair got closer, it became obvious that it was in fact Taro and his Road Runner. Monkey, fully expecting Wylde to stop, gasped slightly when the drove right on past.

"Wylde, we've gotta help Taro," Monkey pronounced.

"I've got to win this race," Markey replied curtly.

Exasperated by Wylde's stubbornness, Monkey looked about in a hurry for some way to stop the SpineBuster and his eyes came to rest on the lever for the emergency brake. Nodding to himself, the mechanic slipped a determined hand around it and tugged the lever sharply. Underneath the SpineBuster's chassis, a metal blade unlocked and dug into the track, creating sharp grooves in the road. The sudden stop in momentum brought the car to a halt and caused Monkey to slam into the back of the driver's seat. An angry snarl could be heard as Wylde turned around, his face livid with rage.

"Don't ever touch my car!" he seethed.

"Taro's a Metal Maniac, Wylde. We're welded," the mechanic answered, his fear of Wylde being overridden by his loyalty to the Maniacs.

Not wanting to admit that the mechanic was right, Markey huffed and backed up the SpineBuster so that Monkey could climb out and attach a tow cable to the front of the Plymouth car. As soon as everyone was situated, the disconcerted Wylde poured on the gas and sped away with the unconscious Taro in tow.

Vert Wheeler sped along the track, trying to make up for lost time since his run in with RD-L1. The blonde couldn't help but feel aggravated as he thought back to Kadeem. Ever since they lost contact with the Dune Ratz leader, everyone had written off Kadeem as dead, but Vert still clung to hope that his friend was alive and just needed help. He couldn't dwell on this thought for much longer as the track he was on leveled out onto another and far ahead were the pack of Drones. Vert was soon joined by the Slingshot and Skyliner as they came from the previous direction of the Drones.

The pack of Drones were driving right into a spinning coliseum composed of lightning itself that twisted and writhed in a flashing dance of charged light. Vert pulled up alongside the Slingshot and the Skyliner took up the rear between their fenders. The blonde watched the Drones as they became green specks in the distance and he decided to open up the radio and let Kurt and Larissa in on his plan.

"I'm making my move as soon as the Drones are inside that thing," he explained and pulled ahead slightly, "The lightning should distract them."

"Just make sure you stay focused. Keep your eyes on your line," Kurt advised.

"I can handle it," Very responded, irritated slightly.

"Do your thing Vert, we got your back," Larissa chimed in.

RD-L1 was rapidly approaching the trio of drivers from behind. Vert offered a warning to the other drivers and the group formed a three-way block. The Drone lieutenant hurtled into the rear fenders of the Deora 2 and Skyliner. Vert lunged forward, nearly smacking into the steering wheel. Scowling, the blonde looked back to see if the Drone had fallen behind, but wasn't surprised to see the robot still on their tracks. Larissa pressed on the brakes slightly to form up a triangular blockade, but she stopped as a green light filled her rearview mirror. Suddenly, the hulking form of the SUV disappeared and was replaced by a glowing 2D version. The thinned out vehicle slipped through the drivers' defense easily and became 3-Dimensional once again as soon as it was past.

"How did he do that?" Larissa exclaimed.

"No time to find out, they're going in!" Kurt shouted, spotting the Drones as they entered the sphere.

Knowing fully well that they were near the end of the racing realm, all three drivers floored it and quickly made ground on the Drones. The flashing orb's barrier gave way and revealed the track inside. The road split into two different sections and ran upwards and around the length of the orb; the paths crossing at different points. The Drones had already broken off and were headed up the track that ran to the left. Vert, Kurt, and Larissa took the path to the right and the cars began to make a quick ascent.

"If we're gonna catch these guys, use the nitrox!" Vert hollered.

The Deora 2 and Slingshot rocketed forward leaving behind a trail of opalescent blue flames. Larissa followed in their stead and slammed back into the seat as the Skyliner copied the results of the Teku members. The three roared across the convoluted pathways of the road and at certain times, almost caused them to crash into the Drones that would slip by narrowly with each loop. Lightning flashed and rained down deadly strikes on the track and one in particular struck directly in front of the Deora 2. Panic surged through Vert as he pushed on the brakes to swerve out of the way. As Vert's car went into a madcap spin, one of the RD-S1's bumpers collided with his and sent the Drone spinning as well.

Another RD-S1 drove straight into the previous one and both careened across the track, loosing parts and wheels. By the time they stopped rolling, the RD-02 cars were nothing but scrap metal and spare parts. Kurt came ripping out of the orb just in time to slam bumper first into one of the chassis' of the cars and the Slingshot flipped end over ended before landing bottom-side up. Larissa gripped the wheel and turned and swerved, but ended up clipping the tail-end of the Deora 2 and came to a crunching halt against the carcass of the other Drone vehicle. Far off in the distance, RD-L1's SUV's interior was filled in a shining light as he passed through the end of the Storm Realm and back into the Drones' HQ. RD-L1 rose triumphantly from the SUV; in his servo rested the Storm Realm Accelecharger.

"I can't believe it!" Larissa quipped as she stood outside the Skyliner, "My front axle-track is cracked through. It looks like the entire thing needs to be replaced…"

Kicking at the tire in frustration, Larissa popped the door and climbed back in. Kurt, on the other hand wasn't quite as lucky, as he hauled himself out of the Slingshot's wreckage. A dull pain shot up his leg as he lay back against the track. The only one who wasn't damaged was Vert and his vehicle. The blonde surfer merely sat in silence as he watched the life and atmosphere of the Storm Realm die as its one purpose of living was stolen from it by the Drone. An engine rumbled loudly as it approached the crashed trio of cars. The SpineBuster shot through all of them and disappeared through the portal. Karma in the Chicane wasn't far behind as she slowed to a stop opposite the Slingshot.

"It's over, Vert," she verbalized before regarding the limping form of Kurt, "Get in."

"Hey Karma, can I get you to tow back the Skyliner?" Larissa called.

The two girls got out of their cars and hooked up the Skyliner to the Chicane. As soon as everything was prepped, Karma looked to Kurt as he limped into the Chicane's passenger's seat while Larissa hopped back into the Skyliner. The brunette turned around in her seat to peer out through the rear windshield to the still Deora 2.

"You coming, or what Vert?" Larissa asked.

"I'm going back for Kadeem," he stated and threw his vehicle into drive and peeled away back down the track.

"Suit yourself, but be careful," Larissa radioed before she felt the lurch of the vehicle as Karma pulled away towards the portal and back to their own HQ.

The cars disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared back inside the safety of the Acceledrome. As the Chicane came to a stop, Larissa stepped out of the Skyliner to see Monkey sprinting towards the passed out Taro in his Road Runner. High above the racers in a small observatory, Lani watched in hushed dread as she received the feed from Vert's onboard camera. Near her, an enlarged timer displayed one minute total before the Racing Realm was due to close.

"Vert, you can't go after Kadeem," Lani warned.

"Oh, yeah? Watch me," his voice filtered in over the comm. link.

"Vert…the portal only stays open for an hour. You only have a minute left. You have to come through, now!"

"Wait, wait! What? Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Vert exclaimed.

"Well, uh, I…"

"Dr. Tezla felt it might distract you from your driving," Gig interrupted, earning a disgusted glare from Lani.

Vert eyed the track before him in exasperation as his options were laid before him. Ultimately deciding, the blonde slammed his fist against the dash as he turned the Deora 2 around. He pressed down on the gas as low as it would go and he scowled in frustration as the portal came into his sight with the clocking ticking just below thirty seconds. Lani held her breath as the timer counted down and she silently prayed that Vert would make it out in time. Vert neared the crash site of the RD-02 and Slingshot. Much to his horror, Vert saw the Drone driver stand up at its full height and it appeared to be preparing to make a lunge for his car. The blonde swerve slightly and believed he had clipped the robot instead as a metallic scrape screeched outside his window. Unbeknownst to him, the Drone clung to the tail-end of the Deora 2 and was quickly climbing along the chassis to reach the human inside.

Back in the Acceledrome, Lani's eyes flew wide as the siren wailed for the closing of the portal, but relief soared through her as half of the Deora 2 shot out of the closing portal. The front end connected with the stone floor harshly and sparks flew as it screeched across the ground. When the chunk of the car finally stopped, Vert looked on in shock at the twisting hologram of the Wheel of Power before defeat seeped in with the shock. With a heavy heart, Vert unbuckled the harness of the driver's seat and shrugged if off as he sat there for a moment, just trying to comprehend the possible loss of Kadeem.

The Drone that had locked onto Vert's car, as both went through the portal, had its lower half severed off completely and therefore only half of it was present as it set its sights on the 18 year old seated inside what was left of the Deora 2. A massive metallic fist smashed through the windshield, spraying Vert with shards of glass. Instinctively, his hand flew up to guard against the glass, but the small defense was just knocked out of the way as the Drone slammed the same servo against Vert's collarbone and right shoulder. Vert gasped in pain as he was pushed against the seat with amazing force and all he could do was hit the release button and the front end of the vehicle shot open, sending the Drone flying across the Acceledrome.

Massaging his shoulder, Vert watched in stunned silence as the Drone connected with the ground in a crumpled heap. He winced slightly as he got out of the driver's seat and fear gripped his face as the Drone began to pick itself up off the ground and started to crawl his way. Vert shook his head in disbelief as he retreated away from the advancing automation. The Drone growled as it locked onto the racer and pursued him, only to be cut off by the Chicane. Karma pinned RD-S1 against the Acceledrome's cavern wall and floored the gas until the Drone ceased to function.

Vert stood off to the side still watching as Larissa jogged up to his side. She tried to see if he was okay, but he only shrugged off her attempts, claiming his shoulder was fine. Lani pulled up beside the Road Runner in her Nomad that had gone from race car to ambulance. The female mechanic jumped out of the driver's seat to direct the others towards the infirmary. She stopped short as Vert stepped in her way, saying that they needed to go back and find Kadeem. Larissa watched Vert in dismay, but her attention was drawn to Markey who chose right then to insert his own snide comment.

"You can't even find half your car," he sneered.

"Hey! Back off, Markey," Vert growled.

"The name is Wylde! Get it right, surf rat!" Markey chided and walked up to the Teku member, fist raised.

"Hey, hey, hey! Relax!" Larissa intervened, stepping in between Vert and Wylde.

Markey eyed Vert dangerously before stepping back slightly, allowing Larissa some breathing room. The brunette watched him closely, not backing off herself, but she couldn't help but shake her head in Markey's direction. Several others watched in growing anticipation of a fight, but it never came and soon the comments were forgotten as Gig floated down to their level. The robot explained that it was impossible to reopen the Storm Realm and that only the Wheel of Power decided when and what realm would open. Vert listened in a despondent manner and his shoulder fell as he came to terms that there was no going back for Kadeem.

"Great because one realm's enough for me," Monkey griped, rubbing his wrist out of pain; probably having pulled a muscle when he gripped onto the SpineBuster's door.

"Typical Metal Maniac. Teku aren't afraid to try-"

"Scrap the Teku! Metal Maniac's do whatever we want! Right, Wylde?"

"Nobody scares Wylde away from a race," Markey responded, looking at Larissa when he said it. She only offered him a scowl and turned back to Vert.

"What? You wanna go back in there?" Monkey demanded, "Look at what those Drones dudes did to us!"

"Look what they did to me..."

The sudden interruption caused several of the racers to jump in surprise as an unannounced Dr. Tezla appeared above them on a nearby catwalk. Vert blinked multiple times, taking in the metal-frame body suit that Tezla sported and all he could do was mutter a stupefied whoa. Dr. Tezla regarded each racer coldly before saying, "We have work to do…"


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_So, I noticed all the reviews that I've gotten so far on this story and I appreciate everything everyone has said. It really helps keep me writing my stories, so thank you :)_

_Moving on, sorry for the slow updates…and this is where I can go on with a list of excuses of why I haven't been uploading, but what's the point in that? From here on out I shall update when I can. Thank you for taking the time to read this, enjoy!_

With day fading to dark and night returning to the sunburned canyons, a monotone beeping filled the room as Lani stood over the resting Taro. The Metal Maniac had been in the infirmary since the storm realm and his condition remained the same. Despite her negative feelings for him, Lani couldn't help but place a tender hand on his muscle-bound arm in one last caring touch. It had only been two years since they had first met and a year since their nasty split, but the mechanic still cared for her prince-turned-brute. She eyed his face before turning to the heart monitor. It was nominal and steady for someone who had suffered a minor concussion. Sighing, Lani let her hand slip from Taro's arm and she turned her back on him with a sigh before leaving.

Out in the open of the Acceledrome's wide interior, the two teams of racers had set to work on building new and much sleeker cars to race against the Drones in the near future. Vert, in particular, found himself behind a welding mask and blowtorch in hand as he put finishing touches on his the ride, Power Rage. The blonde snapped back the mask and a satisfied grin slipped across his face as he admired his handiwork. As he set to work on a different section of the car, a heavy smash was heard followed by an aggravated Kurt's voice. The older Wylde brother rubbed his forehead gingerly where it had collided with the underside of the Battle Spec. Vert placed his tools down and walked over just as Kurt was picking himself up off the floor. Trills of laughter from the Metal Maniac garage floated over to the Teku side behind the blonde's steps.

"Nice one, Kurt!" Monkey called through his bout of laughter as he nearly slipped of the tire he was sitting on. Wylde seemed to agree with the mechanic as his own mocking voice mingled with Monkey's.

"Hey. Need some help?" Vert inquired.

"No, no. I'm alright," Kurt answered, trying to sound strong despite his obvious limp.

"Kurt, you are in no condition to keep working. None of us are," Lani chastised as she emerged from the hallway to the infirmary.

"But, the next racing realm could open at any time," Tezla reminded the watchful mechanic.

Kurt viewed the doctor's approach in distaste as he eased himself onto his good leg. He couldn't get past the fact it was because of the Drones that Tezla was so mangled and had to wear that body suit because of it and the "good" doctor wanted to go back up against the Drones. It was almost twisted, this new obsession of his. Kurt crossed his arms and shared a sidelong glance with Vert before directing his gaze back to Dr. Tezla.

"So, we skip the next realm. So what?" Kurt challenged.

"The strange powers you reported; the things their cars can do. I believe they earn new powers every time they complete a racing realm," Tezla answered with a growing smile, but it soon faded as his bitter half returned, "Soon…it with be impossible to stop them."

"But it's already impossible!" Lani protested, arms raised, "The cars aren't even finished and we're all exhausted. They can't go against the Drones again….not now…"

The conversation took a pause as Lani stared down Tezla, some hidden emotion in her eyes with those last few words. Gig hovered nearby, observing the tedious proceedings of his human counterparts and made a remark to himself of how unfortunate is it to be organic. Vert watched in mild bemusement at Tezla's reasoning while Kurt merely scoffed at the man they once raced for. Over in the Metal Maniac's garage, Wylde leaned against his car, faking a yawn as he waited for some new rebuttal from Tezla but Monkey stole the show as the fidgety grease monkey stood up from his seat of tires. He seemed to be listening to something coming from outside the Acceledrome. Wylde regarded the smaller Metal Maniac's reaction with mild interest.

"That must be my ride!" Monkey declared happily before slipping a last word, "I got in touch with Tork, yeah, I told him what happened."

Wylde looked towards the entrance of the Acceledrome and his brow dipped low as he listened to the rhythmic pounding of the growing sound. Karma herself heard the music long before the others could speculate and she merely said one word, "Shirako."

Outside the Acceledrome's walls, a rainbow wheel of dancing lights splashed through the canyon walls as an approaching vehicle weaved in and out of the maze of rocks. Loud music blared from the multitude of speakers implanted into the back of the car and the vibrations were enough to make loose stones quake as the visitor neared the Acceledrome. The duo of cars, Shirako's and Nolo's, disappeared through the hollo-door and came skidding into the open expanse of Tezla's domain. Shirako's car, Bassline, slowed to a stop just short of running over Lani, Tezla, and Gig. The Synkro braked right beside the other Teku car as he climbed out himself, slightly stunned by the immensity of the disguised headquarters. The Bassline's stereos rumbled continuously, until Shirako pressed a button on his wrist device, transferring the tunes from his car to his ready headset.

"Yo. Let's pump up the Bassline," he voiced, bobbing his head to the beat.

"You had to right to reveal the location of the Acceledrome!" Dr. Tezla snapped, throwing a finger in the approaching Monkey's direction

"Hey, hey! I don't talk to Teku, okay? You can drop that right there, man!" McClurg responded harshly.

"I told them," Kurt spoke as he joined the group, crutches in tow, "Because we need help."

"Listen: what we're doing here must be kept secret!" Tezla exclaimed, earning several suspicious glances from the surrounding drivers.

"Why? Who could you be possibly afraid of?" Kurt sniffed, skeptical as always.

"The Drones…"

As the encroaching conversation ceased, Larissa joined Karma and Vert down below from working on her own ride. The brunette eyed the group in confusion as she crossed her arms, trying to glue all the pieces of the argument together and getting more lost among the multitude of details. Were the encounters with the Drones going to get worse? To answer her own question, Larissa looked at Tezla in his body suit and she grimaced at what else these Metallic baddies could possibly do if any of them got their servos one of the drivers. Her thoughts were interrupted by a prideful Nolo as he declared the finished and unfit to beat the Teku. On cue, Wylde confronted the Teku leader with his defense of the Metal Maniacs, saying that they could take down the Teku. Nolo sized up Wylde immediately and growled out that _nobody_ could. Markey snorted out a laugh before writing off the conversation entirely.

A loud startled the group as another much more beaten car came crashing onto the scene, its headlights glaring them down. Monkey looked over the car and smiled broadly, his ride having finally arrived to whisk him away from this nightmare of a situation for him. Tork Maddox stepped out of the driver's side of the car, an ever friendly scowl marring his face as he accosted the members of his team, particularly the scrawny one scampering his way towards him.

"Hey, let's get out of here, Tork," Monkey greeted.

"After what you said the Drones did to you and Taro? No way," Tork replied.

"That's the idea of leaving, Tork. So they don't do it again."

"Nobody does this to my guys; we're welded!"

Larissa felt herself cringe as Nolo opened his mouth again, only this time to direct another bruiser of a remark to Tork. She watched in astonishment as Tork picked Monkey up and put him aside to confront Nolo and the Teku leader only gestured for the bigger guy to bring it on. The brunette heard a small sigh come from her left as Vert shook his head slightly and continued to watch in anticipation. The ensuing fight could go no further as a wail of a horn echoed in the distance. Monkey's face perked up instantly in a doubt-laced wonder.

"Is that…no, it couldn't be. He said he'd be gone for months," McClurg said, looking to Tork who only shrugged in his direction.

At that precise moment, an unexpected diesel rig came barreling into the Acceledrome, obnoxious voice singing as it grinded to a stop, it's trailer swinging around to reveal a set of ready to go cars meant just for the Metal Maniacs. Larissa felt herself go slightly wide-eyed at the newcomer's appearance. It amazed her at how different each Metal Maniac appeared and it just kept getting weirder for her. He was a burly looking guy equipped with a spiked boots, matching knucklebusters, and a bone necklace. Pork Chop approached his small companion in a gruff trot and picked up the mechanic by the strap of his bag.

"Who did this to you?" Pork Chop demanded.

"Ahh, help!" Monkey choked out as Pork Chop grumbled more to him before Tork intervened.

"Pork Chop, stop monkeying around," the Metal Maniac leader pointed out.

"Yes, please…Pork Chop, you're…killing…me," Monkey whined.

"Hey!"

The new voice earned the attention of everyone in the room. Lani was the most surprised when she saw a fully conscious Taro in front of the crowd, a determined scowl on his face as he regarded all of them. Unlike Tezla, the Metal Maniac only supported a metal bracer on his left leg and right arm.

"Let's get even."


	12. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_Hey everyone! Thanks again for the reviews! Now I present to you Ch. 11 (which I am getting close to finishing the first movie, but I'm thinking that won't happen until around chapter 15…maybe?). Also, I'm going to be taking a poll on the story so stay tuned for it to cast your vote when I actually figure out how to make a poll lol_

_To "__**Annie**__": Well, to me ever since I've seen the World Race movie and then entire Acceleracers series, I've always thought of Taro and Lani as a couple because they give off the signals to me, but now they are just a pair of broken lovers because they aren't together._

As soon as the words left Taro's mouth, a silent answer was given as each driver glanced at each in mild competition before departing back to their designated garages. The engines of the newly arrived cars filled the space with sound as they started up to descend down to the maintenance level. Larissa's ear drums pounded as the semi wailed its horn once again as it found its own way down as well. The brunette turned back towards her own car, but stopped off at Vert's as he popped the hood on his own new ride to do one last maintenance check on it.

"Well, they're a real pleasant bunch aren't they?" she greeted, leaning on the door of the Power Rage.

"You'll get used to it," Vert said half-heartedly, "It's been like this even before I joined the Teku. It goes way back to when Nolo's brother, Tone, was leader."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but at least you're not involved in our personal scraps since you aren't on either side…are you?" the surfer ventured, glancing up at her.

"I'm not involved, but I don't know if that's gonnna change anytime soon, Vert," Larissa answered, looking over to the Metal Maniacs.

With that said and done, Larissa returned to the Skyliner and rolled herself beneath the chassis once more to see what could be done on about her broken axel dilemma. Less dilemmas were seen over on the Metal Maniac side as each racer moved about at their leisure repairing dents and in Taro's case: welding on a one last side panel of his new ride, Rivited. The new car boasted a boisterous, black flame design and a Metal Maniac decal to boot in the center of the doors. Back with the Teku, Kurt tampered with his own car using a high powered laser, while Karma and Nolo set about installing new tires on the Synkro. As Karma screwed in the bolts, Nolo's gaze began to wander and the young Teku leader locked eyes with none other than Tork across the tarmac, who wasn't too busy with his own ride to offer a parting glare himself. Lani, on the other hand, found herself on the receiving end of a much less desired gaze.

"What?" she questioned, when a certain Metal Maniac continued to stare fixedly as she worked on the engine of her Nomad.

"You got grease underneath your fingernails," Monkey sighed, mind partially lost to his own fantasy.

Larissa, having less luck, rolled out with a frustrated sigh and glowered passively at her once grade A, operational car. She shrugged and knew that the entire axel would have to be replaced; that, she was determined to do. Setting her tools down, Larissa watched in slight jealousy as Vert's ride lowered to the ground in primo condition. Vert had his arms crossed and a satisfied smile tugged at his face as the brunette joined him once again, commenting on his choice in colors.

"Yeah, it's not really a change in scheme, is it?" he laughed, patting the hood appreciatively, "But the Power Rage is definitely where it's at."

"You got a point," Larissa smiled as she tucked some loose hair behind her ear and her hand froze as it brushed her head, "Wait a second…where's my shades?"

"Your shades?"

"Yes…I just had them on a second ago, didn't I?" Larissa guessed, patting her head to see if they were there.

"Maybe you dropped them near the Skyliner when you were working," Vert suggested, hand motioning to her mess of tools nearby.

"Maybe…I'll have to check," she sighed and left the surfer to his own meanderings as she went off in search of her "lost" sunglasses.

Her search of the Skyliner's area proved fruitless as she moved off to look around the Teku's area and then a timid guess pointed her in the direction of the Metal Maniacs. Larissa stopped short of the invisible line the Teku refused to cross, unsure if she was welcome despite her not being a Teku. The brunette gave one last thought to the matter before crossing into supposed enemy territory. Everything was going smoothly until her legs collided with someone else's from beneath a car and she went plummeting forward. She connected with the pavement rather hard and barely registered a howling voice being directed towards her.

"Hey, watch where you're going or so help me-" Wylde began as he scrambled to his feet, but smirked when he saw who it was, "Oh, it's you…"

"Heh, yeah, it's me," Larissa answered as she got up from the floor in a rush of embarrassment.

"So, what brings you over to the dark side?" Wylde teased, sunglasses glinting in the fluorescents, "Looking to join up or something?"

"I happen to be looking for something, and 'joining up' is not it," Larissa huffed.

"So is it a 'what' or a 'who' that you're looking for?" he asked.

"A 'what' and that 'what' happens to be my sunglasses. Have you seen-"

"You mean these?" Wylde gestured nonchalantly as he held up her glasses, "I found 'em up top. You should be more careful with your stuff."

Larissa eyed him incredulously as she took them back and stuck them in her jacket pocket. Wylde just grinned more as he turned back to the Spinebuster and leaned down to inspect the grill when loud tunes erupted from the Teku's garage; loud enough to travel to the Maniac side. Pork Chop's head slammed against the underside of his ride's hood as he looked daggers to the source of the music. The hulking brute of a truck driver couldn't be stifled for long as he trudged towards that same invisible line with Wylde on his tail all the way.

"Scrap that noise, Stink-u!" he yelled over the music, fist raised.

Over on the other side, Shirako actually managed to catch the Maniac's response to his music and in return he only amped the music up more by adding in the hoard of stereos he had stashed in the interior of the Bassline. Soon the rainbow display of lights returned and tires bounced precariously on top of one another in piles behind the booming Bassline. Pork Chop took the increased noise by storm as he covered his ears in a rush and Wylde followed suit as Larissa stood behind, simply watching the display. Much to anyone's surprise who could still hear over the din, the Acceledrome's alarm system began to chime, signaling another realm.

"Do you hear that?" Karma called to the subdued surfer who stood working on the engine of his car while dancing to the tunes.

"What?" he answered, having barely caught Karma's voice.

Karma, rolling her eyes, reached into the Bassline's interior and clicked off the rumbling music so that the alarm was audible at last to everyone. The sudden absence of music hit Pork Chop like a ton of bricks as he collapsed and Wylde looked up towards the shifting wheel before dashing back to his ride. Hopping in, the Spinebuster roared to life and Larissa stepped back slightly to avoid being deafened as he threw the car into first gear. Larissa took that as her cue to jog over to the Teku side where her car remained fastened to a lift, but the knowledge of a broken axel hit her like bricks as well. Her shoulders sagged in consternation before her eyes fell on Vert who was just now starting his own car.

"Hey Wheeler, mind if I hitch a ride?" she asked, tapping on his window.

Vert smiled and nodded to the seat next to him as Larissa sped around the front and jumped. The Power Rage jumped forward and did a 180 as it raced for the ramp openings followed closely by Tork and then Nolo bringing up the rear. Few cars remained in the garage and Kurt was just starting his own car when Lani asked for him to stay, claiming that he was in no condition to drive, let alone walk and the older Wylde brother remarked her with the question "who's walking?". The smart answer was followed by the Battle Spec peeling out for the newly opening realm and to Lani's dismay, Taro, in his new car, was right behind. Pork Chop was the last to pull out as he floored the gas to catch up with the others and a shrill shriek could be heard as Monkey collided with the passenger seat from the moment. Karma was fast approaching the on ramp when her path was cut off by said Maniac and the Chicane swerved sharply to the left into a pile of tires; meaning that this was one race Karma would have to miss out on.

The Power Rage tore across the winding track and was the first to pass through the blinding light and enter the Swamp Realm. The Accelerons sure got creative with this one as each car soared through a hodgepodge of vines and branches that reached out in endless directions, as if willing for a collision to happen as each car touched down on the moss-covered track. The grassy conditions made for poor traction and Vert was the first to discover this as he swerved and Larissa slammed into the passenger side door. As they righted themselves, the blonde offered her a sheepish grin as he threw the Power Rage into another gear to speed up. The convoy of cars continued on their path, unaware that as they drove, so did the Drones. Several recon drones hovered a good deal above the track, painting out a line with the best traction for the Drones to follow while transmitting a visual back to Gelorum. Inside the harrowing form of RD-L1's SUV, a comm beeped harshly as Gelorum made contact.

"Something is interfering with the recon drones. You'll have to find your own line," she stated.

"Understood," the drone commander answered and signaled for the other drones to do so.

Back to the convoy of Teku and Maniac, the track they sped upon began to wind around the trunk of a massive tree whose canopy all but silenced out any natural light from above. Many of the racers found themselves slipping slightly on the track from the wild vegetation. Vert kept going along the spiraling road, unsure of where exactly they were heading and no word came from Nolo on what they were to do. It was Tork who voiced the mutual question over the comms to Lani and Tezla back in the control room.

"Hey, which track are we supposed to take?" he radioed.

"They may all lead to the end," Tezla stated simply.

"The last time they led to nowhere," Gig recalled, earning him a death-glare from Lani in a panic.

"I didn't copy that. Say again?" Tork tried once more.

"They'll have to split up," Tezla concluded, covering his mic piece.

"If they do, they won't be able to help each other!" Lani disputed in a whisper.

"It's the only way; tell them, Lani."

"No. You tell them," she growled, turning away from him.

Inside the Swamp Realm, Larissa exchanged a confused glance with Vert due to the eerie silence over the comms and both wondered what the hold up was. It wasn't long before Dr. Tezla returned over the comm. link and reported that the teams should split up. Nolo was the first to act, ordering the Teku to comply but stay in contact no matter what. With an objective set in mind, each racer picked their own track to take and the once large group dwindled down to zero. As soon as they had split up, Drone action seemed to kick into overdrive as Tork found himself being followed by RD-L1 and a minor Drone. The Metal Maniac was so focused on the road and the Drones that he was taken by surprise as a nearby plant seemed to come to life and revealed its face to be a set of three, massive fangs as it clamped down on both RD-L1 and the minor Drone. Maddox watched in stunned fascination through his rearview mirror at the sight behind him as he made tracks to avoid being seized as well by the monstrosities. Unfortunately for the Maniac, the Drone lieutenant was not done for as he activated an accelecharger and warped out of the creature's maw and back onto the track.

Among the many trees of the realm that created an amazing labyrinth of vines and moss, beneath the umbrella of branches rested a confusion of marshes that stretched as far as the eye could see. Putrid water dominated the dampened grounds and atop these murky depths rested colossal creatures reminiscent of mosquitoes. These behemoths took to the air as Pork Chop hurtled by on a lone stretch of track that branched off into the jungle and across the bogs. Monkey, having gotten settled at last, suggested the path across the water, but a reticent Pork Chop just grumbled and kept pace with the track they were on. As the duo entered into the recesses of the jungle below, a spy drone flitted past the watery trenches in pursuit with more of the mutate mosquitoes following. Unbeknownst to anyone, amongst the crowded Lilly pads, rested a prone form of a vehicle. Vine-like tendrils snaked up its amber window shield and obscured what appeared to be an almost red logo on the hood of the car.

Thrumming vibrations rocked the track as the Bassline cruised along the open road, Shirako's need for loud beats managing to attract unwanted attention. One local swamp realm resident pursued the vehicle and latched onto its chassis. With its appendages wrapped about the car, the insect took flight yet again and handled the vehicle roughly in the takeoff. Shirako exhaled in slight annoyance as the noise of the insect interfered with his own tunes. The teku member accessed the Bassline's stereo system and cranked the volume so loud that the pulses sent the lumbering mosquito whirling in pain; so much that it dropped the Bassline in a hurry to fly away. Shirako smiled to himself as he hit the track once more and took off a leisurely pace once more, unaware of a roaring mammoth of a forest giant staring after his car in rage-inflicted hunger.


	13. Chapter 12

The Swamp Realm…an endless expanse of trees, water, vines, and unseen dangers at every twist of the track. The gargantuan trees stretched for miles as the realm's tracks wrapped about them as intertwining coils. Roars echoed off of the watery floor below as persistent buzzing peppered the air. The mess the Accelerons left behind as a forest was teeming with life, but none of this mattered to the pair of speeding vehicles that rocketed across the track. Rivited charged ahead of the pursuing Drone. Its driver, Taro, pulled on the wheel to avoid spinning out atop the slick moss that mottled the orange road before him. Through the din of squealing tires, the familiar buzzing sound could be as another mutate Mosquito homed in on Taro's vehicle and dive-bombed it one fell swoop. Taro scowled in confusion as a sudden whump rocked the chassis of Rivited. Looking about, the Metal Maniac caught a glimpse of an over-sized leg through the sunroof of his car. Growling to himself, Taro jerked left as the Mosquito's penetrator pierced through the thick metal twice before being caught around the thick of it by Taro's hand. Taro held on tightly as the insect warbled in distress, just noticing the rotten carcass of a tree suspended over the track. It only had time to release one short cry before its body splattered against the mottled log and the remains collapsed to the ground as Rivited made a quick getaway. Taro glanced towards the penetrator in hand and just grimaced as he let the object sail from his grip to the track below.

Farther down the track, the situation wasn't that different as Nolo rode along at ranging high speeds, slowing down whenever he skidded across the moss. Behind him, high up in the air, soared a Drone seeker unit with its targeting reticle locking onto the Synkro as another entity set its sight on the vehicle as well. Once more the Mosquito of the realm descended upon the hapless car and drove its penetrator straight into the fuel line of the Synkro and began to siphon off the Nitrox laced gasoline. Nolo let out a huff as he activated his car's stereo. Flashing lights filled the insect's eyes with radiant blue, blinding it instantly. It took flight, flapping about in deranged circles and had little time to react as the Seeker collided with it, causing both to go up in a cloud of flames. It seemed as if pumping music was popular on the track as Kurt Wylde swerved along a different portion of the road; two RD-01 units in his sight. Taking the initiative, he floored on the gas and rammed the rear end of the Drone to the right, causing the automaton and all to careen into the forest below. The second Drone got the same treatment as it too disappeared over the side of the track.

"Nice try," Kurt smirked at the fiery haze of what was left of the Drone.

The victory was short-lived as the Battle Spec rolled to a jarring stop as the Teku pumped his brake to avoid a messy encounter with a wall of vines that encompassed the entirety of the track ahead. Frustration surged through Kurt as he examined the wall in distaste. The vines looked too thick to ram through, so now what? The older Wylde brother slammed his hand against the wheel in a vexed manner, trying to come up with some solution that didn't involved turning back and losing precious time that the Realm permitted the racers. Looking about, Kurt did a double take when he spotted a strange vehicular machine that sported a set of 8 wheels. Thinking to himself, the Teku clicked on the comm and spoke into rather slowly as a series of questions and ideas flooded his thoughts.

"Lani, could the Accelerons some kind of machine inside the realm? Y'know maybe, maybe something that could help a driver," he tried.

Back at the Acceledrome, Lani listened intently and found herself voiceless, lacking a proper answer to Kurt's inquiry. Had the Accelerons really done something like that? She couldn't say for sure, but she didn't have to do much pondering as Dr. Tezla suddenly piped up excitedly, exclaiming the vehicle to be a hyperpod; an Acceleron vehicle transformer to be exact. Lani shrugged to herself and jumped on the answer immediately, radioing Kurt that the hyperpod could be used for some purpose. Inside the Swamp realm, Kurt eyed the comm once more before throwing the Battle Spec into gear and heading straight for the transformer. The chrome chassis of the Crawler Hyperpod glistened in the murky light of the swamp despite all the vines coating its exterior. As Kurt rounded the vehicle and had his own ride in place, the hyperpod suddenly lurched to life as its systems registered the new user. A smile of instant satisfaction crossed Kurt's features as the Crawler began its meandering pace up and over the wall of vines.

It seemed as if there would be no end to the racer's problems the deeper they traveled into the bogs and marshes that consumed the floor of the jungle. Pork Chop knew this first hand as another one of the Seeker Drones trailed after him, swooping low to get into firing range. Eyeing his rearview mirror to keep the Drone in view, an idea popped into the Metal Maniac's head and he couldn't help but grin.

"Hey, Monkey Man, hand me that anchor chain," he stated, gesturing to the back.

"What do you have an anchor chair for?" Monkey responded, dragging the rusted coils of chain over the seat.

"My _anchor_," Pork Chop explained bluntly, not understanding Monkey's questioning of his necessity for an anchor.

The Metal Maniac grasped the rusted pole of the anchor itself and hauled it outside the window of the Jackhammer. As soon as the Drone got close enough, Pork Chop let the heavy weight fly; its metal length connecting with the jet's hull and spearing deep within it. Pork Chop held onto the anchor chain and used his free hand to slide the steering wheel about. The Jackhammer began to thrash about across the road, taking the Seeker Drone for a wild ride before the automaton crashed headlong into a tree trunk. The chain connected to the Drone gave off a ripcord effect and whipped the Metal Maniacs off the road and straight into the holding pit of a Dual Driller Hyperpod. The Jackhammer settled inside immediately as two holding ramps camp up to lock the car into place. A thick rumble resonated across the mossy bank as the Driller activated itself and its duo of drills spun awake.

"What is this thing?" Monkey asked.

"I don't know, but I like it," Pork Chop smiled.

As soon as Pork Chop put the pedal to the metal, the Driller stirred from its resting place and began to create a new path right before the Metal Maniac's eyes. Meanwhile atop the track, another Metal Maniac found himself on the original course. Markie switched the Spinebuster into fourth gear and pressed down on the gas. Wylde just barely outpaced the Drones behind him and he liked to keep it that way. The Drones behind and above pursued the human in a heated frenzy, programming overriding caution to eliminate their specified targets. Poor judgment and mishandling of the controls caused the Drones to become the next meal of a lumbering forest giant that had stomped onto the track. The green denizen of the forest snarled at the invaders of his home and nearly had the Spinebuster in his possession before Markie had the common sense to whip around the giant's protruding foot. The Drones were unluckier as the RD-01 collided with the monster's leg in a fiery haze and the giant's claws found themselves hooked onto the wings of the unsuspecting aerial Drone.

The sudden switch in courses sent the Spinebuster traveling down a much smoother looking terrain that in fact wasn't a road at all. As the world rolled to a stop, Wylde was able to see the beast for what it really was. A quadruple-lipped mouth filled with a great volume of teeth greeted him from above as his ride shook from the vibrations of the creature's ravaging hiss. Instinct took over and Markie revved the engine to its breaking point to speed up and over the coils of the snake-like creature of the Swamp Realm. Markie offered one last parting glance as he landed back on the track and felt himself shudder at the thought of what that thing could have possible done if it had decided it was more hungry than curious at the unexpected presence of the Spinebuster.

At another point in the realm, an odd mixed trio chose to race along a different length of the track. The group consisted of Taro in Rivited, Vert and Larissa in the Power Rage, and RD-L1 in a RD-08 classified SUV. Taro took up the lead of the race, with Vert content to sit back and play guard. Each time RD-L1 would try to pass them, the blonde would cut off the Drone's advances. The automaton responded only in action as he revealed in his clutches, the Warped Realm accelecharger. The Drone SUV began to shine brightly and phased out of reality completely. Larissa, having been watching the entire time, groaned and moved her eyes forward to where the Drone was bound to appear. Just as expected, RD-08 unit flashed back into reality right ahead of Rivited. Taro merely shook his head and activated his built in ramming blade. The gas pedal touched the floorboards as Rivited rocketed forward and ensnared RD-L1 in its wake. In a manner of seconds, Kitano had the car hauled into reverse and both drivers went crashing along the track.

Larissa absorbed every little detail of the incident and wondered briefly why Taro would risk his life like that. She had no more thinking room though as reality slammed her against the seat at the Power Rage lifted off the track to avoid the nasty jumble of vehicles below. A sensation of freefall hit her as the jump jets clicked off and both she and Vert touched down back on the track. The pair sped away before the aftermath of the carnage could be analyzed. Rivited had become dislodged from the SUV and Taro glared after the disappearing form of RD-L1 as the Drone Lt. chased after the Power Rage. It seemed as if the Drone knew the end was near for both the realm and the human drivers…


	14. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_Hey, everyone, Nightwillow here :) Just writing this author's note to answer a few questions I found in the reviews:_

_To "__**Cue**__": Dan Dresden and Alec wood will not make any cameos in my story, except I will explain more on how they ended up with the Drones. Also, Banjee shall be making an appearance, but it will be brief because the makers of Acceleracers only show Banjee for a split-second in one of the volumes. However, my appearance of him shall be much longer to explain what happened to him fully as I think it might have panned out. Perhaps it shall be along the lines of what happened to Kadeem or even that he never made it past the human-to-Drone process. I'll decide later as the story progresses. _

**Chapter 13**

The inside of the Power Rage, despite the cushioned seats, was not to appealing as the chassis of the car slipped and bobbed across the moss-covered track. Every sharp turn sent Larissa slamming into the door to the point she was sure she had bruises. The duo had managed to put some fair distance between them and the Drone lieutenant, but at that point, he was the least of their problems. Ever since Vert had spotted the end of the track, it was like the Swamp Realm had come to life with some berserk defense system. Vines flew out of the deepest trenches of the jungle, green tendrils seeking some form of purchase about the form of the Teku vehicle. Vert swerved yet again as a vine shot past, barely clipping the side door mirror. The plants just kept coming and every time Vert would swerve, the wheels of the Power Rage would lose traction across the slippery muck of moss that plagued the road.

"Mind driving in the middle of the road?" Larissa breathed, pushing against the dash board.

"Kind of hard to with these 'things' coming out of nowhere!" he answered, teeth gripped as a vine slammed against the driver's door.

Larissa rolled her eyes and focused back on the track when her eyes spotted the incoming leafy projectile aimed straight at the windshield. The brunette barely got a word out before a scream was torn from her as the vine came crashing through, shattering the only defense the driver's had against the possessed plants. The leafy creeper snaked its way through the Power Rage and smashed through the rear window. Having successfully wrapped around the vehicle, the vine hoisted the car to dizzying heights. Vert and Larissa held on tightly as they were whipped about; the only thing keeping them from becoming rag dolls were the seatbelts. Far below, on the track, it seemed as if RD-L1 had finally made good on his efforts to catch up to the human drivers, except now there was a new setback as the same creeping vines pursued his vehicle instead of tearing apart the humans above. It was a minor setback though, meaning the Drone was free to go about his business of winning as he activated the Monument Realm Accelecharger. Immediately, the Drone SUV flashed into a 2-D image of its former glory and ripped it down the track as the vines gave chase.

Back inside the Power Rage, things were a lot messier than they were on the ground. By now, the gripping tendrils had swarmed the chassis and broken through the windows to ensnare the helpless victims inside. Larissa bit back the urge to yell for help as the vines writhed around her, her arms pinned to the seat and one of them reaching for her throat. Vert, trying to free himself, pulled brutally at the vine that had seized his left arm. The strength alone that the vines possessed was startling, but that didn't stop him from finally tugging himself free and activating the Power Rage's built in grappling hook. The hook soared from its port and managed to snag the one moving thing that could save their lives: the RD-08. For a brief chance, the hook held and forced the SUV back into 3-dimensional shape, but with all plans came snags. As soon as the vehicle had regained some solid mass, the unrelenting vines surged about its form and took hold. The vines pulled and took the Drone and grappling hook with them. The force was too great though as the one lifeline of a grappling hook snapped, stranding Vert and Larissa high above the track.

The vines…the vines were everywhere! The swamp realm, furious at the intruders' attempts to win its coveted treasure, struck with a wrath so powerful, no one could surmise an end to it. The realm's grasping arms reached everywhere, seeking to hold and to crush its scattered targets that dared to even try to get past the heart, the head of it all to see the end and to see their home once more. That wasn't going to happen so long as the Realm had anything to say on the matter. The Jackhammer was one such case as Pork Chop twisted the wheel left and right, doing an awkward tango with the vines that sought to destroy the nuisance of the Metal Maniacs. The small mechanic next to Pork Chop watched with horrified eyes as the vines whizzed past his gaze. Nothing could have prepared him for the horrors of this realm and part of the Maniac found himself missing the Storm Realm of a sudden.

"Maybe if we go fast enough, it won't even be able to catch us!" Monkey piped up in trepidated triumph.

"It's no good trying to dodge the vines, Pork Chop," Lani quipped over the comm.

"Drive, drive, drive! Use the Nitrox!" Monkey squeaked, earning a heated glare from his larger companion who swerved yet again.

It seemed that the only thing to quell the mechanic's blathering would be to activate the Nitrox and boost themselves to safety, but that wasn't the happy ending at all. All that managed to happen was the Jackhammer jolting across the track in a fiery aftermath. The increased speeds and little-to-zero traction made the vehicle easy prey as vines wrapped about it hurriedly and pulled the car into a deranged "hug" of ruin. When the world had finally stopped somersaulting, Monkey risked a look about and did not find the view to his liking. All he really did was eye Pork Chop who sat with his hands gripped loosely on the wheel, a pissed of expression making up the rest of his demeanor.

"You did not stay in the groove Pork Chop," Monkey stated blankly only to receive his sentence in a harsh, mocking rebuttal from said Maniac.

The comms sizzled with activity as different racers radioed each other to find out what was happening and only when Lani was heard did the chatter die down. She was seeking out Nolo and Tork and that the only way to make it to the end of the track was for them to draft together. Many of the drivers just sat back in disbelief and waited for some response. It was a response all of them suspected. Tork insulting Nolo and Nolo going off the deep end. Within the Power Rage, despite all the mayhem of her situation, Larissa let out an exasperated growl of annoyance and strain as the vines tried to lock her further into their death grip.

The Synkro roared a throaty snarl as it sped neck and neck with Hollowback. Nolo gripped the steering wheel tightly, the outline of Tone's necklace barely visible in the confines of his fist. The Teku leader was sure he had Tork on the ropes when a collision rocketed through the axel of the Synkro. Nolo braved a glance in his rearview and cursed the sight of Markie in the Spinebuster. It seemed as if nothing could stop the youngest Maniac from running amok with things.

"C'mon, draft with me Torque!" Wylde shouted.

The Metal Maniac leader took pride in his teammate's attitude for once and slammed on the gas and set his mind on ramming Nolo off the road to make room for the Spinebuster and Hollowback to draft. The picture wasn't a pretty one as the Synkro made mad circles across the track, clipping the Spinebuster briefly, and screeching to a halt. Wylde grinned maliciously and lined up his car with Tork's on a path to supposed victory. Their efforts were proven fruitless long before they had even gathered up the optimal speed to outrace the vines because the moss just wouldn't have it. Tires found no favor in traction as soon as they met the slick green pavement; even Tork lost his bearing once or twice. From up above, many of the suspended racers watched in woe as the few drivers ripped up the road down below. Monkey yelped in shock as his door was ripped from its hinges by the vines and managed to catch a glimpse of the sliding form of the Spinebuster.

"Wylde, stay in the middle of the track," the mechanic coached supportively.

"Scrap it, Monkey!"

"It's true! It's stickier. It's got better traction!"

"No one tells Wylde what to do," Markie snarled over the comm.

Suddenly a voice came howling over the comms in a mixture of anger and fear, "Oh, would you just listen for once?"

Larissa seethed down at the window as she watched the Spinebuster shoot by. The events were proving too much for her patience and she wanted to see him and Tork actually make it where the others couldn't. Her sudden outburst had a backfiring conclusion though as Wylde lost focus and his car met green and green met his car all around. A strangled cry of disbelief surged from the brunette as both Wylde and Tork were scooped up by the tangled mess of vines. Even Kurt, who had believed he had a fighting chance, wound up in the arms of the Swamp Realm. The writhing mass of tendrils engulfed the cars, blotting out any chances of escape and again the comm beeped furiously as Lani tried so desperately to implore any information from the drivers.

Vert was the first to answer, defeat sweeping in waves at his voice. He couldn't understand how this had happened and it hurt to tell Lani they had failed. Larissa listened intently to the outside commotion, not trusting the Swamp Realm to give the victims time to breathe, let alone rest. Without warning, it wasn't the vines this time that came barreling through the rest of the windshield, but a Drone's servo. Larissa found herself sprayed with glass and instinct commandeered her body to retreat away, causing her to push heavily against the door. The servo's heavy-alloyed digits gripped about Vert's neck as the blonde cried out in surprise and pain.

"Your head is next human," RD-L1 hummed in a monotone fashion, tightening his grip inch by inch, the automaton being inclined to rip Vert's head from his shoulders.

As if by some cruel sense of irony, the one thing that had been trying to eliminate the racers had come to Vert and Larissa's rescue. One of the Swamp Realm's own forest giants wield the Drone Lt. tightly by his legs and ripped the automaton from the car. A resonating call boomed deep from within the monster's lungs as it shredded the Drone in an eerie drawn and quartering method. From within the Power Rage, Vert exchanged a look of surprise and joy with Larissa as they watched the grisly sight unfold before them. The glee was short-lived as the vines sprung to life, their snaking grip tearing open the passenger side door of the Teku car. Larissa screamed in protest as a few of the vines twisted around her ankle and waist while tugging to pull her free from the seat restraints. Vert lunged for Larissa and managed to lock his hand around hers as the other struggled to free itself from another vine.

The vines just kept pulling and pulling and panic surged through Larissa as she heard a tearing sound. The restraints vanished completely as she was half yanked from the car. Only her grip on the seat and Vert's hold on her kept her tethered to safety. The brunette swore out loud as a raging ache throbbed in her leg, her ankle threatening to be pulled from its socket. Vert managed to unwind his own hand and grabbed for Larissa's arm wrapped about the head rest. As soon as he found it, he wrenched her towards him with as much force as the vines when they hauled back.

This was the final stage of its temper tantrum: all-out warfare. The Swamp Realm swarmed in hateful revenge, unleashing droves of insects, snakes, and vines for the racers to contend with. There was only three competitors left and Nolo was determined that he would be the one to win. As the Synkro pushed its pistons harder to go faster, the Teku leader recalled one of his recent memories with his brother. It was another lecture, of course, but one filled with wisdom. Tone was trying to teach Nolo to take life as a curve and the only way to make it through was to _stay in the groove_. Those four words were all Nolo needed as he focused on the curve of the road, where track met moss and soon it all made sense. The Synkro seemed to line up perfectly with the middle of the road, reality forgotten as the car rocketed through the curves. The vines couldn't stop the golden dragon that twisted through their forest. Everyone saw what was going to happen and so did the Drone whose meager attempts to prevent it were squelched like mechanical parasites.

In one bright flash of light, it was all over. A thundering growl pierced the sky as the essence of the Swamp Realm was stolen and everything turned from its rich green to mottled blacks and browns. The realm was no more and neither were its vine snares as each arm died and released its prize. First one, then two cars began to fall and each created a cacophony of ringing metal as they met the track. Larissa felt the shock of the fall thrash her entire torso and she couldn't help but moan in agony as she collapsed onto the track in a disheveled heap. Her entire body ached from the pulling and nearly being crushed to death. As she looked back Vert was crawling from the wreckage of the lopsided Power Rage. The car was a literal scrap heap now and how they were going to get back to HQ was beyond her.

"You alright?" Vert questioned, kneeling down next to her.

"I'll live. That was some adventure," Larissa half-laughed, "But, let's not do that again…_ever _again."

Larissa managed a smile to the blonde and couldn't help but notice a particular set of eyes watching them from the window of his car. _I guess he must be steaming from me yelling at him…_The brunette frowned as she tried to stand, but had to depend on Vert for a crutch. The question began to eat away at her and eventually she voiced both their thoughts: how would they get back? Vert fell short of an answer and offered a half-hearted shrug. That's when Vert spotted Wylde who was just getting his car to start when he suggested maybe he could give one of them a lift.

"A ride? With Wylde? He'd never go for that and what about you?" Larissa argued, blue eyes focusing on Vert's.

"I'll be fine. Besides, you're the one who needs to get back. I mean, look how banged up you are," he explained nonchalantly.

Larissa exhaled in defeat and agreed to go with Wylde on the grounds of him accepting and Vert finding a ride back. Her last condition was quick to be met as whumping music echoed off of the dead walls around the drivers. Looks like Shirako had finally made it to what was left of the party. The Bassline cruised through the mash-up of cars and rolled to a stop just beside the Spinebuster and the trio of drivers. Vert motioned to Shirako inside and the techno-junkie just bobbed his head to the beat and threw the car into a stop motion. Larissa sighed, knowing very well what she had to do next and talking had to be the most difficult, what with their past and all…

The brunette knocked on the window of the Spinebuster and Markie looked up in response and smirked smartly. Larissa just blanched at how much she was going to owe him for this, but the aching of her muscles was something she didn't feel like arguing with. Upon her unprecedented hello, Wylde climbed out of his car and was face to face with the girl who was at least an inch, maybe two inches shorter than him. He gave her a once over and couldn't help but notice how haggard she really did look; like that's going to stop him from taking advantage of this moment.

"You look like you got run over," he started, leaning against the chassis of his car.

"Something like that…listen…um, if it's not too much trouble, can I get a lift back to the Acceledrome?" Larissa sighed, eyes drifting to the ground.

"Really? You're asking for my help? You want help from a guy who can't seem to _listen_?"

Larissa jumped at the last remark and she raised her eyes upward, but only met the reflection of them in Markie's shades. She had said that to him…but was there some double meaning to it? She couldn't tell because his face was locked in an amused/annoyed expression and she was too darn exhausted to try. Wylde watched Larissa mull over what he said and he couldn't help but laugh to himself. The Metal Maniac just shrugged and stepped aside, motioning towards the car. A wave of relief washed over Larissa as she took a small step forward and was soon seated in the space behind the driver's seat as Markie took his own position and implored the car forward. Soon, the Spinebuster was off down the road and out of sight.


	15. Chapter 14 Ignition's End

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_Hey everyone! Nightwillow is back :) Here's an author's note just for you to answer any questions and give you updates concerning news and if I have any questions to ask you._

_To "_**littlestarshine252**_": Thanks for tipping me off to that Tork and Torque situation. Your correction was appreciated and has been fixed :)_

_To "_**Annie**_": My picks, honestly, would be Vert or Markie because I love them both lol_

**QUESTION FOR THE READERS:**

_If I pick someone, who is not one of your favorites, will you still read my story?_

**Chapter 14 (Ignition's End)**

It was their first win against the Drones. Nolo grinned to himself as the Swamp Realm Accelecharger materialized into his outstretched palm. The Teku leader let loose a breath he'd been holding and sat back against the seat. It was their first, real win and Nolo was determined to keep the odds in their favor. The Acceledrome's vast space echoed the sounds of crashing metal as each racer flashed through the portal and the Swamp Realm ceased to be. Larissa gritted her teeth as Markie helped her from the back of the Spinebuster. The brunette leaned against the thuggish 18 yr. old for a brief moment, before pulling away slightly. She hoped that he hadn't noticed, but Wylde merely pretended to not have. She forced herself to stand tall and watched in sedated apprehension until the last driver had made it through from the realm.

Each driver that still possessed a car, emerged from their vehicles and looked about in congratulatory demeanors to their respected teams. The shrill blaring of the alarm put a stop to any beginning conversations as the Wheel of Power began to rotate back into place; its luminescent rings casting a soft glow on the steel catwalks up above. From the observation deck, Lani Tam finally gave into a growing smile. The mechanic was elated to see everyone had made it back in one piece, but a writhing doubt twisted itself firmly into her heart. Just how long would it be until them all making it back wasn't the case? Lani wiped feverishly at her eyes, as memories of Alec, Dan, Banjee, and now Kadeem swirled in her thoughts. She had already lost many of her old friends…how many of her new ones did she have to lose now…?

Down below, the accelecharger in Nolo's grip hummed slightly as green waves pulsed across its surface. The Teku leader found himself fascinated by the device's design, but his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar, if somewhat nagging voice of the automaton, Gig. The droid piped its vocalizer and relayed Tezla's request to the driver. Nolo found himself reluctant to part with the trophy, but he managed a shrug and handed over the accelecharger. As soon as the distraction of the prize was gone, Nolo's eyes fell on the hulking form of his status-given rival. His upper lip twisted in a disgusted snarl as he called out to the Metal Maniac. Tork responded with a quick glance to the Teku leader and Taro stared fixedly at the two as Markie listened to the exchange eagerly. Larissa knitted her brow together in consternation. The brunette released a small sigh as the attention of the rest of the drivers was soon gained.

"Tork!" Nolo challenged, fist raised, "This doesn't change anything. I'm still taking you down!"

"Hey, you wanna take on somebody, how about me?" Wylde retorted, stepping forward heatedly and shaking off the restraining pull of Larissa to his arm.

"Tame it Wylde," Tork cut in, raising a defensive arm in front his riled teammate, "Anytime you're ready, Nolo. Anytime."

At this point in the confrontation, every single driver had retreated to their side of that invisible divide that held everyone at bay; Tekus to the right, Metal Maniacs to the left. Larissa found herself growing increasingly uneasy as she remained by the Spinebuster; her allegiance laid only to herself and those she willingly helped. The brunette silently wished no one would take notice of her presence as she tried to inch away from the impending fight, but she openly cursed herself when she caught Markie looking her way. For once his eyes weren't blocked by his cold, glaring shades and she got a small chance to really see the remorseful gaze he threw at her. In this slight exchange, a lone memory surfaced behind her eyes and a faded image of her once best friend took Markie's place. He almost seemed normal…until it happened. The Acceledrome's speakers came to life and the laughter of Kadeem echoed across the empty expanse.

The sudden interruption made every driver pause and even had Vert looking about in hope for the friendly features of the former Dune Ratz leader. No such luck came his way as Dr. Tezla's voice soon replaced the traces of Kadeem's. Heavy metal clanks painted his every step as his bodysuit moved across the tarmac with the grace of a wounded animal. Larissa removed herself from Markie's stare long enough to comprehend Tezla's reprimand of the teams' petty differences. The doctor explained that Kadeem didn't race for revenge, but to beat the Drones and the rising threat of Gelorum. He finished abruptly, leaving the gravity of his words to sink into the drivers and hopefully make a difference in their attitudes. Nolo let the bite of his anger go, but still watched Tork in bitter suspicion. The Metal Maniac's glare less than kind as he raised a hand and rallied the Metal Maniacs to roll out and back to their garage. Rubber squealing across the tarmac drowned out any other sound as each vehicle moved out; Teku and Maniac, leaving behind two drivers to be lost in their reveries.

"So…why are you still standing around?" Vert asked, approaching the silent brunette, "I thought you'd be in the infirmary by now."

"I'm just thinking…why are you still here?" Larissa uttered, turning the question around on him.

"I just…um…" Vert stumbled over his words, his face a Picasso piece of emotions.

"Forget I asked," Larissa chuckled, her own mind to befuddled for a heart to heart at the moment.

"So, you and Markie…what's that all about?" he piped up, heading in the direction of the Teku garage with the brunette in tow.

"…Why?" she answered, color rushing to her face.

"I don't know, really. Maybe it's the way he looked at you a few minutes ago or even the way he acts around you…" Vert defended himself, his own face flushing.

Larissa paused, examining the blonde next to her. Her throat felt extremely dry at this point and she was hesitant to bring up the touchy topic of Mark Wylde between the two drivers just then. Was it really worth hiding the truth from her new friend who had only been trying to be friendly in his approach? It was when they reached the Teku garage that Larissa headed for her own ride that remained in the same state she had left it. Despite her aching body, the brunette forced herself to work. Work was the only thing keeping her sane at this point and every bit of her did not want to go skipping along memory lane just then. She worked for over an hour until her fingers shook from the effort of removing and replacing parts. By the time she decided to take a breather, Larissa was covered in sweat, grease, and oil. For a moment, she smiled at her handiwork and took a step back to examine the new axel track on the Skyliner.

"Just like the old days, huh?" a voice whispered from behind Larissa, causing her to whirl around and face the voice's owner: Mark Wylde.

"You scared me…" she said, "And I guess it kind of is, if you think about it."

"You haven't changed, Larissa," Wylde pondered, hand fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"No, but you have…" she answered, eyes roaming over his figure.

"Prison does that to a person," he breathed harshly.

Larissa turned away from Markie to continue with her work only to stop when he turned up at her side. His shadow stretched across the cement and it was the one thing Larissa could focus on as she punched the release button and the Skyliner was slowly lowered to the pavement in front of them. The metal lift hissed as it sank into the ground below and the car wedged its tires back onto a firm purchase. Larissa reached for her pocket to pull out the rag she'd been using to wipe off the grease, but found it to be gone. Her blue eyes searched for it until they settled on the worn cloth now in the grip of Markie. She sighed to herself in sad amusement, knowing she had no choice but to fully acknowledge his presence now. Steeling herself, Larissa locked eyes with Markie, but instantly the wall melted away as he gazed down at her.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" she whispered, hand gripping the rag in his.

"Larissa, I just wanna talk…y'know…about what happened and all…"

"I don't really think there's anything left _to_ talk about. If I remember correctly, the last time we really talked involved a rock through my windshield and you getting dragged off by the cops," she responded, voice falling to a cold murmur.

"Hey, I paid for the damages, didn't I?" he bolstered, eyebrows growing low over his vision.

"Not all of the damages can be fixed with money, Mark…"

Wylde let his hand fall away as Larissa took back the rag and began to wipe down her hands, only further smudging the oil across her fingers. The brunette let out an exasperated sigh as the cloth fluttered to the floor. The air between the two was ripe with electricity and the Metal Maniac found himself running a hand through his hair out of frustration before taking a chance and securing his hold on Larissa's shoulder. The brunette's eyes flickered up towards him and they held that solemn stare for a while before Wylde pulled away in agitation and made a slow beeline back to the Maniacs' garage. She felt her stomach knit itself into knots as he left her standing there. A frustrated growl left her lips as Larissa turned away and let her hand trace a lazy pattern across the Skyliner's hood. Why did he have to drag up the past _now_? Out of all the times he had the chance, he sure picked a lousy time to do it…Larissa's hand stopped as she watched her reflection on the metallic hood of the Skyliner.

The brunette sighed heavily and moved away from her little slice of the Teku garage. Loud music pumped across the tarmac as Shirako's section lit up the Acceledrome with life and the pulsing rhythms mingled with the sounds of drills and engines to form an oddly catchy cacophony. Larissa welcomed the wall of sound to distract her from her dark thoughts, but the reveries were too strong and she just had to talk to someone…except him. It would be too hard and she just wasn't ready. The only person she knew she could talk to and feel completely comfortable about it was a certain Teku member. Larissa didn't have to search far as her gaze shifted upwards and she found him. The silent driver leaned against the railing of the upper level, his face locked in a daze of thought. As soon as she said his name, Vert jumped in surprise and nearly fell over the railing.

"Don't do that," he puffed, clutching the railing in shock.

"Sorry," Larissa laughed, leaning against the railing herself.

As soon as the blonde had slipped back into his carefree manner, he focused on Larissa and inquired, "What's up?"

"You remember how you asked what was up with me and Wylde?"

"Yeah…why?"

"Well, me and him actually used to know each other. Heck, we grew up on the same street as neighbors…" Larissa explained.

"Wow, you did?" Vert asked, curiosity peaked.

"Yup. We were the best of friends until we hit our third summer into high school, then everything just seemed to spiral out of control from there."

"What happened?"

"It's such a long story, but let me start at the beginning…"

**Let the S.O.S. chapters begin!**


	16. SOS Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N_: Hello everyone. Nightwillow is back with your latest chapter. Ignition is finally done and now we're moving onto…Speed of Silence! Isn't that exciting? :D_**

_**For this chapter, I'm not starting directly into the movie because it's time to reveal Larissa's background and just how she fits into all of this. Let me know what you think as I go. **_

_**For the background story, I can't promise that anything will be geographically perfect. It's just a made up town set in California somewhere on the Northern coast.**_

_**A note to everyone who has reviewed thus far, I would just like to extend a hand to all of you to say that I am touched by your words. The mean so much to me and are extremely motivating :) Thank you all so much!**_

**S.O.S Chapter 1: A Tale to Remember (part 1)**

_The sun rested on the horizon of the rocky expanse, painting the land red with its dying warmth. The air was beginning to cool as the moon rose in the East, its Cheshire grin beaming down at the sleepy little town of Amber Ridge, California. The town's regular daytime denizens were settling down for the night, wrapping themselves up in the quiet presences of television and family. It was at this hour that Larissa found herself the happiest. She just loved to kick back and watch the sun disappear as the amber waves lapped lazily at the orb in the distance. She could hear the sounds of crickets out in the brush that lined the cliffs of Amber Ridge and beneath their song, sang the voice of the ocean as it splashed against the rocky divide. She smiled broadly; her blue eyes watching the sky as stars began to sew themselves into the fast-growing indigo cloth. _

_She could have sat outside for hours, but her parents would start to worry if she stayed out too long, just as they always had. Sighing to herself, Larissa slid down from the hood of her ivory-colored 1965 Chevy Corvair Corsa hardtop coupe. By her standards, it was a good car that got her where she needed to go and even if it was rusted in some places and faded in others, it meant the world to her. She had managed to get her parents to cave in and buy her a car. Once upon a time, Larissa had envisioned something a little more…shiny, but her dad had preached for an hour on how fixing the car would give her a "character" building activity. The brunette looked back on her dad's speech and laughed slightly because he had been right. The hobby of her fixing up the car was a fun task and it did help improve her knowledge of how a car worked, inside and out. Larissa slid into the cracked leather interior of the driver's seat and let the engine awaken with a throaty, if somewhat of a smoker's cough purr. _

_Soon, the 16 year old was backing out of the dirt pull-off and onto the smooth tarmac of the highway. Throwing the car into gear, she set off down the road in hope of making it home before the sun was completely gone. Her little hideaway was a good twenty minutes away from home by car and forty minutes on foot, but either way, she would always go back. It was her spot to relax and reflect. Sometimes she would have Markie Wylde tag along with her because of them being best friends at the time. The pair virtually did everything together due to having grown up as neighbors on the same street. Larissa smiled as she recalled sunny afternoon's playing out near the bluffs as kids and seeing who could throw a rock the farthest out into the ocean. Markie generally won, but there were times she beat him, even though she suspected they were rigged victories. Markie was the best of the best when it came to her friends. No one knew her better than he did and that's what made their friendship so special to her._

_The real story of how their relationship evolved and fell apart began on the humid morning of June 10th of their junior year, just a week before school was due to break. Larissa had just finished getting ready for school when a knocking at her window interrupted the morning routine. She glanced to the screened opening and a grin grew across her cheeks. Markie could be seen outside, waving when she registered his presence. Laughing, she trotted over to the window and threw it open, leaving only the screen to divide them. This was the norm for the pair because Markie always made himself known on Thursday mornings. The youngest Wylde didn't have to do much because of Larissa's room being on the first floor so it had become sort of a custom since halfway through their freshman year._

"_Hey Rissa," he greeted, leaning on the window's edge, "You excited for tomorrow night?"_

"_Of course! Why wouldn't I be excited for our movie marathon?" Larissa answered, moving away from the window to her vanity, "Which letter are we on?"_

"_Um…M, I think…" Markie admitted, sliding the window screen aside and taking a seat on the window sill, his legs dangling into Larissa's room._

_Larissa smiled to herself and brushed her hair out quickly before going back to her bed to rally together all her school supplies. As soon as they were stuffed into the bag at her bedside, she pulled on a pair of black sneakers and a short-sleeved, yellow jacket over her white tank top. The brunette gestured for Markie to follow and both teens raced down the hall into the open space of Larissa's home. Its living room, dining room, and kitchen all connected and from the kitchen drifted the scent of breakfast. Larissa called to her mom as she dropped her bag on the couch along with Markie's and took a seat at the whicker, glass-top table. Markie settled into a seat next to Larissa and greeted Mrs. Ducaine with a cheery grin as she passed out plates and spooned scrambled eggs onto them, followed by bacon, and pancakes. The teens dug in excitedly and had nearly finished off when Larissa's mom intervened, reminding them of the time._

"_We'd better scram Markie or we're really gonna be late," Larissa sighed, as she cleaned off her plate over the trash can._

"_Right, right. Thanks for the meal, Mrs. D." Markie called over his shoulder as the two grabbed for the backpacks and headed out the door._

"_One of these days, my mom is gonna make you start paying for all the food you eat," Larissa tittered as she entered the driver's side of her car._

"_So sue me if your ma cooks better than mine," he replied, hopping in._

_Larissa just shook her head and started the vehicle up. Soon, they were both on their way to Amber Ridge High School for another dull day of lessons and heat-infested classrooms. It wasn't until around third period that Larissa met Markie for lunch. Their conversation consisted of complaints directed towards the humidity and a squabble breaking out over whose turn it was to supply the movie for the coming Friday. Eventually, Larissa managed to get Markie to agree to it so long as she let him skip paying her for gas the next day. The brunette sighed and admonished the fact he lacked a car. He merely shrugged with a sly grin. It was the same pattern for the rest of the day and continued into the next morning. Larissa sat at her vanity, combing out knots in her hair and fixing her eyeliner when the familiar knock came. She glanced over with a smile, only to let it slip when she saw the crestfallen face of her best friend. She got up slowly and made her way over, sliding the window open tentatively._

"_What's wrong?" she questioned, pulling the screen aside and climbing out._

"_I don't know if we can have the movie night tonight," Markie sighed, "My brother's in town and he's supposed to show up around 6."_

"_It's fine. I mean, how many times do you get to see your bro?" Larissa tried, patting him on the shoulder._

"_Not enough and I happen to like it that way…"_

"_Why? Is Kurt really that bad?" Larissa half-laughed, "I bet you're just jealous because I'm a fan of him, am I right?"_

"_No!...maybe…I don't know!"_

"_Chill Markie. You know you're always gonna be my favorite of the Wyldes. I may be a fan of Kurt as a racer, but it doesn't mean that I like him better."_

_This seemed to calm him right down as he offered her a lop-sided smile. The pair headed in house to repeat their morning and prepare for the day as usual. The rather pleasant day of June 11th passed by uneventful as Larissa pulled into the block her neighborhood belonged to. Markie had the window down, the wind ruffling his raven hair as he swayed his hand through the air like a board cutting into fresh surf. As she neared their homes, a peculiar sight greeted them in the Wylde driveway. In it was parked a black and silver Bugatti Veyron. The brunette's jaw almost dropped as she eyed the slick vehicle, her inner driver's passion piqued. She had never come across a car of that caliber and if she ever had, it was only in her dreams. Markie followed her line of sight and a groan penetrated the interior of the Corvair. He observed his brother's early arrival with distaste and was intent on making it known. Larissa just rolled her eyes as she pulled into her driveway. Markie flung open the door heatedly and pulled himself out of the car. Larissa's scalding tone reached his ears as soon as he was out._

"_Hey, be gentle, Markie," Larissa chided, patting the roof of her car, "I may be making adjustments to her, but it doesn't mean my Corvair is tantrum proof."_

_Markie gave a sheepish shrug and shouldered his bag before ambling on over to his own home. Larissa took the initiative and paced along behind him. She paused when the thrum of music tackled her ears. The tunes seemed to be trailing from the Bugatti and curiosity got the better of her as she parted from Markie who had already gone inside. Larissa approached the car warily and spotted something she hadn't before: a pair of feet sticking out from underneath. Larissa peered down and jumped slightly when a voice seemed to be addressing her presence._

"_Gawk all you want Markie, you can't have it. You'd probably wreck it as soon as you tried backing it out of the driveway," Kurt warned._

"_Well don't mind if I gawk, but I'm not Markie and I'm sure I could keep from wrecking the car until I reached the street," Larissa joked, crossing her arms._

"_Come again?" Kurt voiced in confusion and rolled himself out from under the car. He stood at his full height and examined Larissa closely until realization struck him, "Well if it isn't the little grease spot from across the street. You've grown Larissa."_

"_Yeah, good to see you too, Kurt," Larissa answered, smirking slightly at the reminder of her childhood nickname._

**To be continued…**

**A/N: So what do you all think of Larissa's backstory so far?**


	17. SOS Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: _Hi Everyone :) Nightwillow back with part two of a Tale to Remember! This will be the last part of it and then the real action will start back up in the present of Acceleracers. I hope all of you are enjoying Larissa's back story so far and will like the remainder of it._**

_**Does anyone have questions or thoughts? Review and I will answer in my next Author's Note. Please and thank you!**_

_**Enjoy :D**_

**S.O.S Chapter 2: A Tale to Remember (part 2)**

"_Yeah, good to see you too, Kurt," Larissa answered, smirking slightly at the reminder of her childhood nickname._

"_What brings you here?" he asked, wiping his hands on a nearby towel and placing it over his shoulder._

"_Just dropping off Markie and hanging out for the time being, but I might have to go since you're here."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?" Kurt inquired, looking slightly insulted._

"_Nothing. I figured your family would want to spend time with you just as a family. Not family and the random girl from next door," she laughed._

_Kurt just chuckled coolly and went back to his own business, leaving Larissa to chase after Markie. She didn't have to look far when she spotted him seated on the sofa, eyes glued to the television. The brunette smiled deviously and tiptoed up behind him and was about to spook the living daylights out of her best friend, when he whipped around and scared her. As soon as the startled shriek left her, Markie had his arms wrapped about his torso as his laughter permeated the air. Larissa glared at him, but couldn't keep it as she joined him on the couch, both becoming lost in the program. An hour had barely passed as they watched TV and continually talked when Markie's mom made an appearance, informing the two that dinner was going to be starting soon. Larissa's smile shortened slightly, but she got up and patted Markie on the shoulder. She knew she had to leave and he knew it too. Markie frowned and turned to his mom, pleading his case before her and the verdict was Larissa getting to stay for dinner and have their movie night, but they would have to involve Kurt if he wanted in on the activity._

_Markie begrudgingly agreed and the evening went smoothly for the most part. Chatter filled the air as the Wylde parents focused on their eldest son. They were so happy to have their son home again. He had been away for the past year training and prepping everything necessary towards racing in the Grand Prix. This would be his third run through of the entire race and he had decided to take some time off to relax and clear his head before he would leave for Europe that next Saturday. Markie mentally groaned, seeing he wouldn't be rid of his brother for an entire week and it had to be the last week of school…like salt on a wound. Larissa listened eagerly as Kurt recapped many of the races he had been through and he had seemed to notice the shine in her eyes at the mention of how much speed he had manage to clock in one particular match. The older Wylde regarded his attention to the brunette and began to ask her if she was interested in professional racing. Larissa grinned whole-heartedly and listed the Grand Prix and Tokyo Drift as her top favorites to watch. A sly smirk worked its way onto Kurt's face as he asked if she had a favorite racer. Blood rushed to Larissa's face as the answer popped into her head and in an embarrassed move, pointed towards Kurt._

"_Really?" Kurt smiled, leaning forwards, "Glad to know I hold some value to you."_

_Larissa laughed nervously and stared fixedly at her half-empty plate. Markie looked up from his own, a scowl plastered across his face and he exchanged an angry glare with his brother. Kurt just shrugged at his brother, enjoying the sight of his baby sibling trying not to throw a jealousy-fueled tantrum. Markie locked his jaw and looked back down, eyebrows pulled firmly down. Kurt just shook his head and kept talking to Larissa as she tried to maintain a disinterested manner and failing miserably at it. Night came fast and everyone had moved off to their own doings. Larissa was seated on the couch, her form illuminated by the glow of the television and Kurt sat adjacent from her in the recliner. Both were talking more about auto mechanics and the racing industry. Markie's parents had decided to join Larissa's parents for coffee and Markie was left in the kitchen making popcorn for the movie. Occasionally he would glance out into the living room and each time only made his temper flare more. He should be the one in there talking to her, not his big-mouthed brother with a balloon-sized ego to spare and what troubled his so much was all the attention Larissa was showering on Kurt. A cold spear of dread sliced into him suddenly. What if there was something else going on between the two._

_Markie's mouth hung open in animated shock as he pondered the possibility. Did Larissa like Kurt more than she said she did? Did he like her? The younger Wylde blanched, instantly thinking that there was no way they would get involved. There was too big an age difference anyways…but since when did that stop people from acting on their feelings? Markie was startled from his reverie as the microwave dinged and he popped open the small door out of reflex to fetch the snack. He yelped loudly as the hot bag scorched his hand and fell to the floor. Larissa's presence filled the kitchen doorway immediately as she came to his aid. She bent down and fetched the bag, flinging it onto the counter. The brunette grabbed Markie by the hand and stuck it under the running faucet. The burning subsided and he smiled at the relief. As the pain was erased from his mind, Markie's smile faded as he eyed how close he was to her and how she still firmly held his hand. He reddened immensely and tried to back away nonchalantly, but ended up knocking a plastic cup off the counter in his attempt. As he reached down for it and returned it to its original home, his gaze met Larissa's, whose was fixed on him._

"_Markie, are you okay? Your face is all red," she remarked, reaching for his forehead, "Do you have a fever?"_

"_No…I'm fine, really!" Markie tried, stepping just out of reach, "I'm just…uh…a little sick to the stomach. Maybe I ate too much at dinner."_

"_Maybe…Are you sure you want to go through with the movie? I wouldn't feel right about keeping you up all night, especially if you might hurl. I really don't want a repeat of Allison's eighth birthday party."_

"_It's not my fault. If they didn't want it to be eaten, they should have put a cover over the cake," he defended himself._

"_Markie, there was a cover! You ate that too because you thought it was that edible paper that comes with some cakes!"_

"_Oh right…"_

"_So anyways, about the movie?"_

_Markie opened his mouth to answer, but no reply would come when he spotted his brother watching from the doorway. Kurt seemed to have some sort of smug grin plastered to his face and it was just driving Markie up a wall. He was sick of this torture game Kurt was playing. If he went through with the movie, he'd have to deal with Kurt stealing Larissa during it and if he played sick, Larissa went home; either way, he lost. Sighing inwardly, Markie decided playing sick would be easiest on himself. He faked a frown and told Larissa that they should probably reschedule the movie for another night. He even went as far as clutching his stomach in mock nausea. Larissa patted Markie on the shoulder affectionately and told him that she didn't mind. The brunette hugged her best friend and decided to see him off to his room. Markie managed a pained smile as he said good night and let the door close between them. Larissa traveled back down the hall in a slow manner until she was met by Kurt at the end._

"_I heard you guys…it's a real bummer," he said, leaning against the wall._

"_Yeah, but I just want him to get better," Larissa nodded._

"_Since you're technically not doing anything tonight now, would you like to hit the town with me?" Kurt proposed, one eyebrow raised._

"_Um…last time I checked, Amber Ridge isn't exactly a big name city. There's virtually nothing to do."_

"_When I say 'town', I mean L.A."_

"_But that's almost a three hour drive!"_

"_And I've got a fast car that can get us there in two. Not to mention, it's only 8:30 and nothing really exciting happens until later in the night," he reasoned and dangled the Bugatti's keys in front of her, "You want to or not?"_

_The offer was so enticing and Larissa felt herself cracking at the idea of riding in a Bugatti. Her blue eyes flickered back towards Markie's room and she almost let loose a sudden no at the idea of hanging with Kurt. What would Markie say if he found out she had spent their evening with his brother instead? Kurt didn't leave her much deciding room as he sauntered over to the front door and let it swing open. Larissa's body seemed to be on autopilot as she followed him outside and into the car. She didn't even register buckling herself in or as the vehicle thrummed to life. The entire time her mind was set on deciding whether or not to go and it seemed her better judgment had deserted her completely as the duo hit the open road speeding for the bright lit city of Los Angeles. _

_It was nearly 5 in the morning when they returned: Larissa was a wobbly mess and Kurt looked exhausted as he helped her onto the couch. He fell back into the armchair with a loud sigh and let his tired eyes fall shut. He had nearly fallen asleep when a gruff cough got his attention. When he did open his eyes, he was greeted by the not-so friendly appearance of his younger brother. Markie had his arms crossed and he just stood there waiting for an explanation. Kurt's head rolled back against the chair and he nearly fell asleep again when a pillow slammed into his chest. He jumped up in anger, but kept his mouth shut._

"_Do you have any idea what time it is?" Markie whispered harshly._

"_One..maybe two…?" Kurt answered; his mouth like cotton from lack of sleep._

"_Yeah, no. Try five o'clock in the effing morning."_

_Kurt just shrugged his shoulders and fell back into the armchair's embrace with a muffled thump. Markie sighed to himself and nearly went back to his own room when he heard a moan from the couch. The younger Wylde just blinked as he contemplated the mystery woman. Had his brother really brought home some floozy he hooked up with at a bar? He got his answer when the supposed floozy rolled over and Larissa's face greeted him. Markie went wide-eyed and he bent down to see if it really was her and his heart exploded when he knew it was. Her usually neat brown hair was in complete disarray and the thing that pissed him off most was Kurt's leather jacket wrapped about her in some effort to make her look nice. When he moved to pull it away, she clung to it tightly and blinked a few times as she came too._

"…_arki…" she muttered, her voice slurred immensely. The smell of alcohol was strong._

"_Oh my god…Larissa, you're drunk!" he nearly shouted, "Kurt! What did you do?"_

"_Shh! Keep your voice down," Kurt hissed, "I didn't do anything. We just hit a few clubs and that happened."_

_He gestured loosely Larissa's way and the brothers were rewarded by a string of hiccups from the brunette as she came to. Markie placed an arm underneath Larissa and dragged her into an upwards position, her eyes glazed over in a far away look. Her voice sound scratchy and out of sorts as she tried to talk, but the words came out as a slurred mess. She leaned heavily against Markie, her mind gone elsewhere for the time being as she smiled in a lop-sided manner, followed by a broken chorus of giggles. Man, she was really drunk then. Markie bristled in anger as he turned back towards his brother who had fallen back asleep. Larissa just giggled again and toyed with the mess of hair on Markie's head. Normally, he would have blushed and moved away, but he was just too angry to notice at this point._

"_Kurt, are you out of your mind? She's drunk, man! For crying out loud, she's only a minor!"_

"_Calm down…I brought her back didn't I? Besides, it's not my fault she thought the martini was lemonade…or the one after that…or the one after that one…"_

"_Yes it is! She doesn't drink, so how is she supposed to know the difference. Besides, you could have gotten her drunk on purpose just for your own sick use."_

"_What?" Kurt gasped, his eyes widening at his brother's accusations._

"_You heard me. How do I know you didn't take advantage of her using her fandom of you, plus alcohol?" Markie growled, clutching Larissa closer to him._

"_I would never make a pass at a sixteen year old!" Kurt bit back, "Besides, you're just being ridiculous now because you're jealous! You can't stand the thought of her being with me and so you're just making stuff up to make me look bad!"_

"_I am not jealous! I'm just…concerned for her," Markie struggled, face burning._

_His lame attempt to defend himself only made Kurt laugh out loud. The two exchanged a few more harsh insults before Kurt barged out of the house, hollering he was staying in a hotel for the remainder of the week. Markie just snorted a good riddance and headed back into the house. He was fuming by this point and so overcome with rage that he nearly forgot about Larissa until he saw her half-collapsed off the sofa, snores coming from the floor. Markie cursed to himself and collected Larissa in his arms. There was no way he could take her back to her house. If her parents heard them…Markie just shuddered at the thought and decided to put her in his room for the night and that he would take the sofa in the living room. As he tucked her in, Markie frowned and wondered what she could have possibly been thinking when she went with Kurt, but part of him felt slightly responsible for what happened. If only he had watched the movie with her, she wouldn't be drunk and passed out in his bed right then. He left his room in a sluggish pace, eager to go back to bed and let the issue be resolved in when she was actually awake enough to talk. _

_It was about late in the afternoon when Larissa crawled out of her drunken dreams and into a dull sense of reality plagued by a screaming headache. As her eyes fluttered open, the scene around her struck her as odd. This wasn't her room and these certainly weren't her sheets. In a panic, Larissa bolted upwards, but instantly regretted it as her head throbbed sharply. As the throbs died down, she discovered herself to be in Markie's room and especially in his bed. She threw the sheets off and pulled her legs up to her chest in rising anxiety. What happened last night? Nothing came to mind except blurred images and intoxicating smells. No…not smells, but a distinct one that still lingered with her in the room. Larissa looked down and found Kurt's leather jacket wrapped about her. It smelled of sweat, gasoline, and…alcohol? Choked sobs worked their way out of Larissa as she began to shake. Emotions flooded her to the point of overload and she wanted so desperately to remember what really happened and not what her mind was proposing to her just then. Her heart was full to bursting as she muffled her sobs with the bed's pillow._

_Markie whistled softly to himself as he wandered through the kitchen. It was far past lunch, but he was still hungry. He rummaged through the fridge and grimaced at the thought of leftovers. He was about to start his search anew in the pantry when he caught a sight of her. She looked even worse than she did the night before and her puffy eyes concluded something was really off. Markie emerged from the kitchen and nearly fell backwards as Larissa ran into his arms, still sobbing. He couldn't think of anything else to do, but simply wrap his arms around her and just let her cry it out. Eventually, her sobs died down to frenzied hiccups amidst hyperventilated breaths._

"_Larissa…" he whispered, stroking her head, "Why are you crying?"_

"_Because…because I'm scared…" she hiccupped, "I can't remember what happened last night…I can't remember if me and Kurt…"_

"_Kurt says you didn't, but you were a mess when you guys got back. You were drunk, 'Rissa."_

"_I…I was?" she whispered, looking up at him, "That would explain the headache, but why was I in your room?"_

"_I put you there. Sleeping on the couch isn't exactly the best thing when you're going to be nursing a headache."_

_Markie felt her presence forced away from him when she pushed him away suddenly. Her eyes burned in anger, any sadness now being turned to ash in her fiery stare. She looked so vulnerable in the spot she was in. Her eyes puffy from crying, hair askew, clothes rumpled, but she scrunched her face up in what seemed to be a mixture of disgust, hurt, and confusion. Markie didn't know what to think, but the meaning sunk in soon after as the palm of her hand left a stinging mark across his cheek. By now, fresh tears were streaming down Larissa's face as she held her hand…the one she had slapped him with. Shock couldn't begin to describe what Markie was going through, but his heart felt like it was shattering into tiny, unfixable shards. _

"_I can't believe you would do that…" Larissa whispered, "I thought we were friends…"_

"_We are! Just let me explain, Rissa-"_

"_No! Don't call me that!" she yelled, her hands bunching up into fists, "I mean, I knew you liked me and all, but I can't believe you would do something like this!"_

"_I didn't do anything, Larissa! I just…wait, you knew I liked you?" Markie asked, his turn on the confusion ride starting._

"_Well, yes. For awhile now, actually."_

"_And you didn't say anything?"_

"_What do you mean? Why didn't _**I** _say something? Markie, I never said anything because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. You've got to understand that I never…liked you…like that…"_

_This was the last straw for Markie as her words tore into him like daggers. He was on the verge of hysteria as he contemplated Larissa's confession. He can't believe he had acted like such an idiot around her, but the thing that struck him most was that she let him do it. Unbelievable anger worked its way through his words and he verbally attacked her with his questions. Her eyes widened in distress, but she stumbled through a few explanations and the two just ended up yelling at each other more. Larissa's entire face was drenched in livid tears as she tried to fight back, but Markie's defeated look crushed her even more. Eventually, she tried to explain that she'd only been interested in Kurt because of her being a fan of his and not because she actually liked him. This only made Markie reply angrily that it still hurt to watch her act so interested in him. Larissa tried to hold back more tears, but they spilled over anyways as she tried to apologize in a choked cry. Her blue eyes found his brown ones and they stared at each other for a long while before Larissa turned away and headed for the front door._

"_Where are you going?" Markie asked, his mind spinning._

"_I'm leaving…Markie…we can't do this to each other. Now that it's out in the open, there's nowhere for us to go," Larissa sighed, shoulders slumped as she gripped the doorknob._

"_So that's it then? You're just going to leave?" he demanded, but winced at the bitterness in his voice, "Does this mean we're not friends anymore?"_

"_Yes, Markie…yes it does…"_

**(Back in the present)**

"So is that it then?" Vert questioned, looking out into open space as he leaned on the railing.

"Yep. Kind of cliché, isn't it?" Larissa voiced.

"No, but I'm confused. Where in all this does he put a brick through your window?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I overheard you two talking earlier," he admitted.

"Oh, well that little incident happened right after Kurt left. We got into an argument again and he just got so mad he threw a brick through my windshield. It was too much for me, so I moved in with my sister Claire about halfway into summer," Larissa finished.

Larissa hugged her arms around her body and just let the memories fade back into their respective nooses. It was too painful to keep talking about, but it felt good to get it off her chest. The brunette kept her eyes focused on the Wheel of Power and didn't move when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and just instinctively, she laid her head across his shoulder.

"Thank you, Vert."

"Anytime, Larissa."

**A/N: So how was that everyone?**

**REVIEW PLZ!**


	18. SOS Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_Hi all. Thanks for the few reviews :) I hope all of you enjoyed the backstory chapters. Now Speed of Silence can really start!_

_To the **Anonymous Reviewer(s)**: I have already decided who Larissa is going to end up with, I've known it before I even started this story. I just created the poll because I wanted to know what kind of pairings others were into and what kind of audience I was writing to._

_Also, to answer your other question, my top 4 Acceleracers characters would be Markie, Vert, Shirako, and Tork._

**SOS Chapter 3**

The next morning seemed somewhat bleak to each driver as the day started out slowly. Most of the drivers meandered about the mess hall, blindly picking at their breakfasts as sleep left them feeling groggy and half-alert. Each driving team sat at their designated tables; none of them straying far past the invisible divide that alienated the crews. Larissa was one of the last few stragglers to enter the eating area and immediately it felt like her first day of high school all over again: no where to go because she had no place to belong to. She glanced about, pretending to be organizing the food while she sought out a seat. Her blue eyes widened in relief when she spotted an empty seat near Lani. What a better way to eat than with someone else who wasn't a designated member of the warring race crews. Taking a chance, the brunette hefted her tray of toast, scrambled eggs, and coffee and took the seat. As she sat, it didn't occur to Larissa the kind of message she was putting out to the Metal Maniacs since Lani was seated with the Teku.

Small conversations carried into empty space as each side attempted to make conversation. Lani played the role of mediator and talked with Larissa for the majority of their breakfast, but she also found herself drawn to the banter between Nolo and Kurt and then onto Karma and Shirako. The more she listened the more she began to feel comfortable in their company, something the brunette had sworn she wouldn't do. This was getting involved and getting involved meant picking sides. Larissa didn't feel ready for something like that so she reserved herself from the conversations, until Vert offered her a chance. For a person the same age as her, he seemed just as cheery in the morning as he was in the latter part of the day. A smile grew as she started to talk to him and the two were soon lost in conversation, oblivious to stares done out of curiosity or in one particular case: slight anger and jealousy.

Breakfast was coming up short as each driver began to file out from the mess hall up to the observatory where their presence was demanded. Larissa trotted along beside Karma as the crews reached the room and took seats in the cushy leather chairs about the oblong table. Dr. Tezla was already present, his face hidden away from the drivers as he stared out the windows and towards the Wheel of Power perhaps. Gig floated nonchalantly near the doctor, occasionally emitting an almost human sounding chirp, voicing Tezla's unknown impatience for the meeting to start. A few irritated grumbles resonated as Metal Maniac and Teku regarded each other stiffly. Markie took the lead seat, leaning on the steel table and occasionally directing glares in between his uncaring brother and his new angered focus of Vert. The blonde caught his gaze and just frowned back, new feelings rising now that he understood Larissa's rift with the Maniac. Taro took his stand in the back, eyes drifting to the lone form of Lani as she remained near Tezla. The last thing that the Maniac expected was to find the newest driver standing in the back with him, but with several feet separating them. Larissa kept her gaze straight-forward, trying to divine Tezla's reasoning for the unplanned meeting.

"I don't know how many racing realms the Drones have completed…how many accelechargers they've won," Tezla began suddenly, "I _do_ know we have exactly two. You will take those two accelechargers into the realms with you. You will use them to complete more realms…win more accelechargers and you'll use _this_."

Upon his signal, the hologram projector in the table's center illuminated itself and displayed a replica of a Drone vehicle wheel. The wheel possessed special properties that allowed a driver to adapt to any terrain thinkable. The tires could morph into a total of eight treads and the display began to shift in shape. The rubber morphed into a wheel of spikes, different sets of grooves in the wheel, and then slick for city-huffing. The image soon flashed away as Dr. Tezla lectured on a new safety measure to be installed inside the drivers' vehicles. He called it an EDR device; the acronym standing for Emergency Driver Return. The device, in situations that called for it, would virtually zap a driver from their car and the realm and back to the Acceledrome…minus the vehicle of course.

"The Teku don't 'escape': we drive," Nolo stated, thumping a fist to his chest with a smirk.

"Yeah, like Vert," Markie jeered, twisting his mouth into a sneer.

Larissa felt her heart plunge as the two confronted each other. She was the only one who knew the underlying reasons that led to their hostilities. Sighing to herself, the brunette rubbed her eyes, content to let the train wreck commence. Vert rose from his seat, bristling at Markie's comment and suddenly found himself craving a fight; the blonde just wanted one reason so he could let loose. Wylde practically gave him the go ahead as the Maniac got up from his seat too, asking if the Teku surfer was looking for a fight. Kurt beat him to the punch as he sprung to the challenge, voicing his own want for the showdown. Larissa had to cover her mouth as she went slack-jawed. She blinked repeatedly and tried to put the pieces together. She understood Vert and Markie, but Kurt was another angle to the story completely. She didn't have much time to add in her piece to the scrap, when a gruff voice barked a terse remark beside her.

"It's too bad that Kadeem didn't have an EDR in his car," Taro commented, arms crossed tightly against his chest, "Remember Kadeem?"

The sudden interlude kicked the fight right out of the drivers as the loss of their friend washed afresh in their minds. Vert sighed and sat back down, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on the white material of them. Wylde scowled begrudgingly, but followed suit and took his own seat along. Kurt remained standing, but silent as well. Tezla finally intervened on the matter and claimed his indifference to who won against the Drones, so long as it was done. A sudden idea popped into his mind and the doctor also quipped that the best would be needed to do it. Nolo took the bait and he swung his arm around to remind Tezla of the Teku before claiming that he did have the best. Tork also answered the call and said the Maniacs were ready to scrap Drone and Teku alike.

"The drivers are ready then," Tezla concluded, "Now what about your cars?"

The new challenge of rebuilding their vehicles from the ground up was a welcomed ordeal as it gave everyone something to focus on besides the gang rivalry. Each driver raced about at their own luxury, arranging new designs and outfitting the final model with all sorts of teched-out additions. On the Teku side, Nolo had just finished with his newest car, High Voltage. The vehicle could literally be described as lightning on wheels as its orange electric flames flashed in the lighting. Nearby, the sound of an electric torque wrench as Vert applied the last few bolts to the rear tire of his car, the Power Rage (2.0). Similar autojobs were being done across the rest of their garage as was the same situation for the Maniacs. Tork was busy doing basic maintenance on the Hollowback as Pork Chop applied new tire bolts for the Jack Hammer. There was a fair share of welding on the Metal Maniacs' part as each driver etched in the typical flame designs that the rough-edged team favored compared to the slick and smooth curves of more technical designs sported by the Tekus.

As each vehicle came under final tests and completion, the cacophony of metalworks and engines slipped into a steady thrum as conversations rose above the clamor. On the Teku side, most of the talk went on through the forms of Nolo, Shirako, Larissa and Vert. Karma and Kurt were off somewhere else and the others lacked the company of Tezla's hired help, Lani. Larissa worked languidly on her car, most repairs finished since its first test in the realms. The Skyliner glimmered before her and she smiled pleasantly, proud of her vehicle. The brunette huffed a breath of relief as she finished polishing the hood and stood back to examine the complete job. Everything was in order, she observed, and ready for the next racing realm. New noises reached her ear as low, resounding music pulsed from the Bassline while Shirako tweaked the sounds systems, giving the music a pitchy throw every time he messed with it. Nolo was jamming to the unorthodox tone nonetheless as he rolled underneath High Voltage to make some last minutes tweaks of his own. Larissa found herself humming along with the tune and ventured over to where Vert had the Power Rage lowered to the ground, examining the engine.

Back inside a different section of the Acceledrome, a lone figure stood within a room whose walls were lined with an odd assortment of mechanical components and chemicals along a silver countertop. The most eye-boggling piece that hung in the room was the half-shorn carcass of an enemy Drone that still sparked due to whatever function it still possessed. Karma's icy gaze roamed across the pitch-black metal of the Drone's plating and to her surprise, the automaton snapped its head up in a jerky motion and narrowed in on her position. Its retinal scanners registered the contours of the face and his protocol programming kicked in immediately.

"What are your orders?" it voiced. The vocalizer sputtered somewhat due to random electronic surges.

"It thinks you're Gelorum," Kurt piped up, emerging from a shadowed corner.

"What are you doing here?" Karma breathed, set on edge by his unknown presence.

"Just curious. I heard Gig had reactivated the Drone that came through the portal with Vert," he replied, joining her in front of the suspended robot. He flinched backwards somewhat when the Drone made a move to attack, but came up short as it slumped against the wall, "Y'know, you _do _look like Gelorum…from one side, anyway."

"Speaking of sides…" Karma bridled, slapping Kurt's hand away from her chin, "I heard you used to be on the wrong one; that you were a spy for Gelorum."

"I didn't know what she was then; all I did know is that I didn't trust Tezla," Kurt responded with hesitation, "…I still don't."

"Maybe you just have trouble trusting people. Maybe you think they're all like you…"

Kurt frowned at Karma, bristling at her attempts to gain an understanding of him, but it didn't deter the smart remark, if somewhat repetitive, for her in return, "It really is a remarkable resemblance."

Meanwhile in another hidden away portion of the Acceledrome, the sharp rumble of an engine pierced the bedrock canyon of Tezla's test track. The small road made a complete circle about the Acceledrome with a split in the track that curved upwards in a ramp to test the vehicle's maneuvers over hills and gaps. On top of the track raced Tork in the Hollowback. The stone walls echoed the snarls of the vehicle's engine as it pushed its engine to reach new speeds. Tork controlled the car with ease, his eyes glued to the road ahead as it was bathed in a shimmering, golden light. Energy waves pulsed across the Hollowback's chassis as the Cavern Realm Accelecharger fed its power directly to the core of the vehicle. The Maniac shifted gears and pushed down on the gas, gliding through the turns with little difficulty as the accelecharger provided all the light he needed. From back within the main observatory of the Acceledrome, Lani scanned over the live feed she was receiving from the Hollowback's dash-cam. Everything in the test run had checked out and the mechanic decided it was time to call it a day for the test run. With a few flicks of her fingers, the lighting along the test track had been restored and Tork took his cue to deactivate the Accelecharger.

"Let's send Nolo onto the track to test the Swamp Accelecharger," Dr. Tezla suddenly chimed in, just out of comm. range.

"You know how Nolo feels about Tork. If you put them on the track at the same time…" Lani scolded, but stopped short as Tezla cocked an eyebrow her way, "…You want trouble between them…"

"Competition leads to greater effort," the doctor explained, smiling to himself as he returned to his work.

Sighing heavily, Lani rose from her chair and tried to reason with Tezla. She wasn't sure how she could get the doctor to understand that Nolo wasn't in it for the competition; he was in it for revenge against Tork. No matter how many times she tried, Tezla just couldn't see past his own selfish pursuits of gaining Accelechargers and potentially risking the drivers to do so. Before Lani had time to express her concerns, the beginning lecture was interrupted by the sound of a sliding door as Monkey emerged through the entrance. She regarded the Maniac stiffly before inquiring why he was there. Her answer came in a stuttered response with a lopsided grin attached to it as Monkey ran his mouth off about his new Nitrox 3 ½. He clapped his hands together in excitement as approached the comm systems, still babbling about its ability to make a car go 300 mph in reverse. Lani lowered an eyebrow in confusion as she took her seat again, curious to hear the oncoming exchange between the Maniacs. Before the mechanic had any time to contact Tork, a shrill screeching filtered through the monitors suddenly, nearly deafening Lani as she pulled the ear piece away with a harsh snatch.

Her eyes traveled to Tork's dash-cam and witnessed nothing but blurred images as the Hollowback twisted about in tight circles. The Maniac leader grasped at the steering wheel firmly and wedged his vehicle to a stop. A growl of exasperation left him as he watched the shrinking form of High Voltage bathed in green. Whumping music thundered along the track, shaking the cavern walls and jarring loose gusts of limestone. Nolo grinned and pressed the pedal to the floorboard. The jolt of the car boosting sent adrenaline spiking through him as he approached the split in the track. He sucked in a quick breath as he shot off the ramp, but the feeling of freefall never came as he zoomed up and over the gap. Beneath his car, a large vine twisted to form itself in an intricate braid of a new track. Its tendrils dug into the original orange road and lifted the vehicle right off and then set back down as the gap closed. In a burst of emerald, the vine disseminated into a shower of leafy dust as High Voltage's tires met the lined track of the Acceledrome. Nolo let loose a low whistle of amazement before smirking to himself, now knowing what his Accelecharger was really capable of. Back in the observatory, Tezla stared on in wonder at the scene unfolding before him. Just to be sure, the doctor replayed the video several times to confirm that he really had seen a new track materialize out of thin air beneath Nolo's vehicle. The recent discovery met his expectations of the Accelechargers greatly.


	19. SOS Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: **_Greetings everyone! It's been a long time hasn't it since I last posted? Well I would like to personally apologize for the lack of chapters. My computer went kaput and I had to get a replacement...cheap appliance...but now I'm back and nothing to worry about now :)  
_

_To **Kakai**: I'll see what I can do about the Shirako/OC fic, but I can't promise anything. That might be a bit of a challenge even for me because he is one of my favorites, but not to the point where I know the character inside and out._

_To_**_ Tsukiikami 656:_**_This story isn't review powered all the time, but it is nice to get them so I know how the story is doing_

**SOS Chapter 4  
**

Things had really started to cool down since the morning as everyone moved about the Acceledrome doing their own thing. Larissa whistled to herself as she rotated the tires on the Skyliner. Everything was going great in fact. The conflict had dialed down to a safe code yellow and the brunette preferred the silence as opposed to the bickering Wylde brothers. She had no idea what had gone down between them in the year and a half she had been gone from Amber Ridge and part of her didn't wish to know. The only thing that mattered at the moment for everyone was getting their rides prepped for another race against the Drones. Karma was doing everyone a favor by pursuing her personal endeavor of racing against the Drone that came through with Vert from the Storm Realm. Currently, she was prepping the systems for a virtual run through when loud whumping tunes assaulted her ear drums. She looked up in mild interest towards Shirako's car before going back to the programming. The Teku were used to the behavior by then and accepted it in stride. The Metal Maniac, on the other hand, were another case. The steady and growing sounds of the techno were only background noise to Monkey as he fiddled with his chemistry set. The mechanic handled a vial of red liquid carefully due to the raw sample of Nitrox 3.5 being largely volatile until a sudden thunderous crack of metal nearly made him drop the sample. With a squeak, Monkey replaced the vial back in its rack before turning to inspect the scene. He wasn't sure what to think as he saw his over-sized companion, aka Pork Chop, swinging away at the door of the Jack Hammer with an equally over-sized mallet.

"Um, Pork Chop...what are you doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doin' Monkey Man?" Pork Chop answered with a deep chuckle, "I'm givin' it some character!"

Monkey had no time to respond when the loud tunes of the Teku finally pierced his attention. He winced when he felt an eardrum throb, but he immediately focused on his behemoth of a friend when Pork Chop suddenly swung the mallet over his shoulder and started to stamp away towards the noise-infested garage of the Teku. Monkey scrambled after the larger Maniac, shouting for him to slow down while the sudden spectacle earned the attention of Mark Wylde. Peering up from beneath his shades, the young Maniac grinned and decided he wanted a piece of the action. All he needed was any little reason to confront his sibling and this was the perfect opportunity. He slipped in alongside Pork Chop as the forms of the Power Rage, Battle Spec, and Skyliner came into view. Sitting on the hood of her car, Larissa was the first to witness the approaching mob of Maniacs and she couldn't help but groan loudly as she ducked her face in her hands. This wasn't going to be good...Kurt wasn't all too happy to see them either as he rose out of the seat of his car and confronted Pork Chop, Monkey, and Wylde head on.

"Hey!" Kurt snapped, "What are you doing in here?"

"I'm gonna turn that noise, down!" Pork Chop snarled, lowering his mallet dangerously.

"You Maniacs afraid of a little music?" Vert jumped in, arms crossed. He glared once at Markey before meeting Larissa's gaze and he gave her a sheepish shrug and backed away to his car.

"Metal Maniacs ain't afraid of nothing!" Pork Chop resumed growling, swinging the mallet once for good measure.

"Especially not _scrap_," Markey barked, eyeing Vert and Kurt as he said it, "Like you two!"

"You think you can take us?" Kurt challenged, stepping towards his sibling, "Even me, _little_ brother?"

"Yeah..." Markey muttered before glaring harshly at Kurt through his shades, "I learned how in _prison_!"

Without warning, Markey lunged at Kurt with a hellbent fury and slammed his older brother down on the hood of the Skyliner. With a startled yelp, Larissa rolled off the hood in a fluid motion and barely avoided getting wrangled into the brawl too. The struggle could have gone on longer, but the squabbling brothers were interrupted by a loud blaring of the Acceledrome's alarm. It wasn't too soon after that the tri-dimensional rings of the Wheel began to twist and gyrate into their pre-designed form. Tezla observed the rings in trepidation until at last they settled and he was able to divine which realm was meant to be next. Water...water was the next realm to be. Tezla clicked on the audio systems immediately and began to list off the drivers chosen to race: Taro Kitano, Shirako Takamoto, Vert Wheeler, Diesel Riggs, Kurt Wylde, and Mark Wylde. The fight was still going on below when Larissa and Pork Chop pulled them apart. Kurt stumbled away from the trio as Larissa pushed against Markey's shoulders. Wylde gritted his teeth in anger and shoved the brunette's arms off him before marching back off to the Maniac side.

And the racers were off, each side scrambling to prepare for the impending race. Upon new orders from Lani, helmets were to be worn into the zones at all time to avoid any serious head injuries. Each team obliged and locked in their helmets before locking themselves into the seats. With a cacophony of roars, each car thrummed or growled to life and squeals of rubber on pavement echoed as each car blasted off the tarmac and onto the twisting track that fed into the portal of the Wheel. Larissa took her chance and bolted up into the observatory to catch the proceedings of the race via live feed on the monitors. Standing near the female mechanic, Larissa watched in fascination as Lani tapped away at the keys effortlessly and relayed information to the drivers as she was instructed to. Larissa found herself frowning as the dash cam. monitors only played back gritty static. She looked to Lani in question, but the raven-haired woman only shrugged in reply.

"What's happening?" Larissa quipped suddenly over the coms, "Vert, me and Lani are blind right now, what's going on?"

"I don't know," the blonde radioed back, taking a look around into the murky depths that permeated around his car, "I can't tell where we are...let me try something."

Fixing his eyes on the paneling beside his steering wheel, Vert clicked on the Power Rage's brights and was immediately greeted by a not-too-friendly-looking skeletal fish that swam away as the strong beams attacked its delicate sensors. He could help but breath in a gasp as he took stock of the surroundings and slowly he commed back that they were under water. Lani and Larissa exchanged looks of surprise before turning back to the monitors. Taro, not content to sit in the dark and float, activated the Cavern Realm Accelecharger and was rewarded by a bright, orange glow enveloping his ride and stretching out to illuminate the blackened waters. Even his light didn't stretch very far and if that was the case, the racers had to be in extremely deep waters for that to happen. The only thing Taro got an eyeful of was a large school of menacing fish floating a few meters away from the sinking vehicles. There was a sudden dampened ruckus as each car touched down on what appeared to be an underwater plateau. As the last on landed, a solid bubble of energy formed a large dome along the plateau's length and what should have been stone began to glow in a series of lights that made the plateau look like some sort of landing strip from Atlantis. Without warning, the floor ripped apart and sent the driver's plummeting into a deep chasm filled with similar lights and so the race had begun...


	20. SOS Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: ****_Hey-o everyone! How's it going? Nightwillow7 here, finally back from hiatus ;)_**

**_To _****"Tekufan2310": **_I plan on introducing Banjee and all the previous drivers that Gelorum chapter much later on once I actually reach the part in the movie where I see the best chance to introduce it._

**_To _****Everyone: **_I have a surprise in store for all of you when I finally reach the last movie. Stay tuned :D_

**SOS Chapter 5**

The long drop brought the drivers barreling down onto the track far below the surface of the water they had portaled in to. As soon as rubber met pavement, the race was on. Miles of underwater pipeline stretched out before everyone's eyes and even further into the murky depths; the only light present being the self-lit guidelights of the track. Metal Maniac and Teku swerved back and forth around each other, each seeking their ticket to the lead position. As the racers dived over another hill and around a bend, far above, the realm tore open once more only to allow in less-than-friendly company. The Drones bubbled into the water realm and sunk fast into the stomach-wrenching drop and onto the orange-arrow highway. The pipeline continued to twist and churn, throwing the racers into countless curves and climbs until suddenly unleashing a surprising parry. Water lined what should have been track, but nothing lurked beneath the azure sandtrap. The only way was forward and tires screamed as each racer poured on the speed to hydroplane across the trap and straight to safety. It looked as if everyone would make it across the watery divide in one piece, but trouble brewed not far behind as Pork Chop's focus began to waver at the thought of driving atop the liquid. Unbeknownst to his friends, the behemoth of a Maniac harbored an irrepressible fear of water and it was now coming back to haunt him.

With a heavy foot, Pork Chop settled onto the brake as his thoughts swiveled between what his head told him to do and what his gut was commanding. A panicked gasp escaped the Maniac as he stomped on the brake completely just as he reached the maws of the gap. The Jackhammer listed forward sharply and sank down slowly into the abyss and into darkness as its chassis was suddenly snapped up in the jaws of a gargantuan skeletal fish. Pressure set in immediately as the fish clamped down hard and jetted through the ocean around it; the pipeline becoming nothing but a dream in the distance as the monster poured on the distance. Pork Chop gripped the steering wheel in an iron-crushing grasp as he clamped his eyes shut, trying to think past the fear trembling through him. Rational thought seemed impossible as he gazed the cabin of his vehicle in paralyzed eyes. His radio buzzed frantically as Monkey's voice filled the speakers, calling out to his burly companion. On the other end of the line, Lani and Larissa paced away from the comm. link to give Monkey room as he gripped the paneling of the radio in his hands.

"Pork Chop! You gotta hit that driver escape thingy!" he exclaimed, stumbling over his words.

"Emergency Driver Return...?" Gig piped up, hovering near the mechanic.

"Yeah, that! Push the D-E-R!"

"That's 'E-D-R'," Gig corrected, almost sounding annoyed.

"Just push the button!" Monkey yelled, fear gnawing at his heart.

One minute, Pork Chops hyperventilated breaths filled the sound systems and then next...nothing. Monkey stared on in disbelief as nothing came through no matter how many times he tried to make contact with the Jackhammer. The signal had been lost and with it, Monkey's best friend. For once, Lani put aside her disgust for the grease-stained mechanic and placed a soothing hand on his back, but the gesture only felt hollow compared to the devastation Monkey was processing. Back inside the racing realm, another picture began to paint itself as gnarled teeth puncture the almost tissue paper-like metal of the Jackhammer's chassis and the cabin began to fill up with water fast as Pork Chop finally smashed apart the blockade of fear binding him to the seat and in a heated motion, the Maniac fumbled down into the growing pool in search of the E.D.R. Taking a deep breath, Pork Chop stretched his arm as far as it would go and finally his finger brushed the safety button and he was zapped from the chassis of his car and back into the relatively dry confines of the Acceledrome. Unfortunately, the Metal Maniac came barreling out at a break neck speed and crashed headfirst into a pile of metal barrels and cardboard boxes.

The ruckus didn't go unnoticed as Monkey bolted from the observatory and straight to his friend's side, mouth running ninety miles an hour as he expressed his relief. Back inside the realm, the remaining racers shot down a lone stretch of pipeline that branched off into two separate junctions; one going up, the other down. The encroaching fork had Kurt radioing Vert on which path to take as they swerved along the road with the Maniac, Taro. Kurt planned on pursuing Taro upwards while Vert split from the pack to traverse the lower turn. The Teku said little more as they separated and sped along, both anxious to see the end of the race. Far along on their own side of the underwater track, a convoy of Drones was on its way to intercept the humans and see victory declared for their master. Victory was the only thing on people's minds as another set of cars streamed through the enclosed road. Markey kept a tight grip on the wheel of his ride as his mind divided his focus on winning the race and against his older brother.

The shimmering walls of water surrounding the drivers reflected of his metallic shades, but it did nothing but coat the torrent of emotions he was reveling in. Wylde found himself so distracted that he was content to let Shirako keep the lead ahead of him. All he was doing was driving and waiting…waiting for an opening to make his move on Kurt. At last he spotted a potential chance on the horizon as his divided pipeline met up on a straight course with Taro and Kurt's side of the road. Taro pushed ahead in Rivited and he decided to create some action everyone had been expecting. With a flick of the comm, the burly Maniac informed his younger cohort that the track was splitting once more and that Kurt just so happened to be taking the left-hand fork as he was. Wylde listened intently and anger bribed him into pouring on the gas to cover the large gap the racers had created between one another. Activating his Nitrox, Wylde left Shirako in the ashes as seething flames licked at the pavement, leaving behind ruts of cinders. The time to get even was over for the younger brother…all he desired now was to see his older sibling pay in every way possible. The Spinebuster clashed with the rear bumper of Kurt's Battle Spec and the Teku ride lurched forward. Kurt glanced behind in a wild glare, realizing the danger of his deranged counterpart.

"Back of bro!" Kurt warned through the comms.

"You're 'bro' died in prisoner…" Wylde growled and pressed his attack.

Back at the Acceledrome, Larissa leaned back in a chair as she observed the dash-cam feeds from each car. Everything seemed to be in order; the scenery not changing much in either video. There was the water, a random glow fish, and the flare of sparks of high impact…The brunette did a double take as she observed Wylde's camera and found it to be flipping back and forth between the way it should look and then the way it wasn't supposed to as the Spinebuster rammed something. Was he fighting off Drones? Confused, Larissa tapped into the console to check previous feeds, but there had been no sightings of Drones yet and with that mystery debunked, she sat back once more with her brow scrunched in thought. A quiet thought sent her eyes tearing towards Kurt's onboard dash-cam that would shake and scramble the feed every few seconds. Activating the sound, she flinched back as the crunch of metal bore through the speakers. With horror growing as the realization sunk in, Larissa thumbed the comm channel linked directly to the Spinebuster and heard it beep once before the channel opened on his end.

"Wylde, what are you doing?" she chided, eyes darting between his video and Kurt's.

"This doesn't involve you," his voice crackled over the comm, slightly muffled as he collided with the Battle Spec again.

"Don't be stupid! Cut it out, now!"

"Stay out of it, Larissa, I think you've done enough."

The declaration was blunt, if somewhat wry as he shut off the comm for good, much to Larissa's anger. The brunette watched on in silence, knowing very well she could do nothing more. Just as action was heating up inside the realm, so too was it in the main dome of the Acceledrome. Lani and Nolo busied themselves by setting up an enormous safety net in the form of an over-sized airbag that was meant to spare anyone from an eminent concussion if they were rocketed out of the realm. Back inside the observatory, Tezla analyzed the live video feeds over Larissa's shoulder when Karma came barging in, her face lit with satisfied excitement. It seemed as if she had cracked the method behind the Drones at last. The sole girl on the Teku team pulled the doctor aside, her voice a flurry of words as she reported her findings. With every realm the Drones entered, they mastered a new skill each time, leading her to believe that the very existence of the realms wasn't to win Accelechargers, but to acquire necessary skills one would need to become the perfect driver. Even if he didn't show it, the news frightened Dr. Telza as he contemplated the idea of their enemies becoming everything he wanted, but not in a way he would have gone about it. Instead of voicing his concerns, he answered with a dry rebuttal that the Accelechargers were the key, even if he didn't personally believe his lie.

Larissa listened keenly to their conversation as she watched the dash-cam monitors with growing agitation. Kurt and Markey's brawl was still apparent to her and the only thing that drew her attention away from their videos was the blur of Vert's. It just looked like a smear of colors to her and she called Karma over to investigate. Karma joined Larissa at the computer terminal and in a polite manner, commandeered the neutral driver's chair and headset. Larissa didn't oppose as she handed over the responsibilities of monitor duty and the brunette was content to let Karma work. Inside the Water Realm, what appeared to be a smear of colors for the girls was in fact close to what Vert was seeing as he sped along near 500 mph through the darkened track which was quickly becoming scarce as it made a sharp ascension. The blonde clung to his steering wheel as he was propelled out of the underwater pipeline and out into open air as the Power Rage detached from its hyperpod. He felt the free-fall surge through him and his mind whirled in brief giddiness until he finally touched down on the track that curved over and under the waves as a symbol of the water flow itself as it curved around and through rocky formations.

Vert swerved along the track, focus lost as he diverted his attention in a three-way split. The main divide was tacked onto winning the race while the other two focused on a new track record and Karma's instructions. She watched in agitated attention as her words were spilled on deaf ears. Much to her chagrin, the Power Rage began to pick up speed as Vert aimed to beat the track record. Everything seemed peachy on the lighter side until the Power Rage met water and its tires began to skid and skip across the shallow waters like an over-sized skipping stone. Vert's cry of surprise pierce the comm link as he scrambled to hit the EDR as his car sped off the track and straight into a rock wall. The explosion cut the cam connection immediately and Larissa felt her heart involuntarily seize in fear. Without commanding them to, her feet carried her in a sharp flight across the observatory to watch as Vert came flying out of the realm portal and directly into the airbag. She shuddered out a relieved sigh as she looked down to see him picking himself off the ground with a little strain. The brunette yelled down to him and he looked up, waving an arm to her.

Back within the realm, the race was coming to its climax as the Drones finally emerged from the belly of the sea and immediately carried the lead as the team of human drivers finally exited the underwater playground as well. The threat was unforeseen for a brief period which Wylde took ample advantage of as he activated his lava plow and rammed the back of the Battle Spec. Kurt lurched forward painfully and he took on another blow before he decidedly swerved out of Markey's shot and sent the Spinebuster grinding into the side of Rivited. The chaos amongst the drivers managed to distract them long enough as they intersected at last with the Drone convoy. One of the Drone minors slipped in behind the team of humans and activated his sweeping battery ram. Once the high-impact projectile was launched, anarchy broke loose as it collided with the rear bumpers of Bassline, Battle Spec, and the Spinebuster. Taro was fortunate enough to guide his car to safety as the ram whizzed by at crashing speeds. The other unlucky drivers were sent careening into the air and crashing back to the track, except for Shirako who cleverly activated the Swamp Realm Accelecharger mid-vault and he drove himself safely to the orange highway via his own grassy solution to the problem.

Frustration seemed to be the universal emotion across the teams as Wylde and Kurt clanged to a stop and Tezla in the Acceledrome growled in consternation at another loss to the mech racers. Karma merely shrugged and in a solemn voice, actually commended them. They had mastered the realm's skill and therefore deserved to win the most, no matter the reality of it. The Drone commander swept into the finish line as his SUV blurred into the portal and emerged back at Drone Command. The mech rose up from his vehicle in a boisterous fashion and lifted the capture Water Realm Accelecharger into the air. Loud tirades of hissing cheers encapsulated the large arena where the Drone stood in triumph, his lessers voicing their support. Much to everyone's surprise in the Water Realm, Taro had ignited his Nitrox to make quick tracks to catch up with the Drones just before the mech commander had managed to claim victory. The move on Taro's part seemed like a suicide mission as he was trapped between two speeding Drone cars and the trio was swiftly heading for the portal. No one had any idea the trouble he'd just gotten himself into as everything flashed white and his dash-cam video feed warbled in a blackening static…


	21. SOS Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: Hey, hey! Nightwillow7 here with an announcement concerning the story: I'm going to be taking a break from the mainstream of the plot in order to develop some of the characters, so there is a slight change. Instead of going directly into the Metro realm like it does in the movie, I'm going to stretch out some events over a span of 3 or 4 days, max. The part where they head for the next realm will come in SOS Ch. 8.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**SOS Chapter 6**

The cheering inside the Drone headquarters was tumultuous and the synthetic voices vibrated the air about them as the mechs stared on at on of their own as he presented a newly claimed Accelecharger, thrusting his clenching servo high into the air. The broad pantheon of Drones rumbled in excitement as Gelorum looked on at her underlings in pride. Another victory pushed her legions one step closer to complete dominion of the human world and a dark gleam appeared in her eyes as she plotted out the very smallest details in eradicating the human scourge that infested her prize. Nothing could have possibly stained the occasion until the thousand-voice tumult cut off, leaving the air tense and silent as a loud crash and tumble whipped into her domain through the Accelering portal. Rivited clamored to a halt, tires wailing in protest as Taro slammed on his brakes. The icy reception couldn't have been colder as the Metal Maniac gazed out his windshield, grip vice-like on the wheel.

Every single Drone's emerald sights were locked onto the foreign car and the air crackled with electric aggression. As if on a hair-line trigger, scores of the mechanized beasts sprung for the car as Taro threw everything into reverse and careened back up the ramp to the only arms of safety he had. With a burst of fire, nitrox fed his car into a back-lancing rage straight into the maw of the Acceleracer. With what felt like a hop, skip, and a jump across the cosmos, Taro flashed back into the bleary net of the Water realm. The Maniac sat back in his seat with an irritated groan, not truly believing that he was back where he had started. He braced himself this time for the stomach-wrenching drop and hit the track speeding. His comm buzzed with life as his dash cam's feed began to pump a solid signal back to the Acceledrome. Karma was the first to jump on the chance and her voice was the first he heard.

"Welcome back," she said, her voice dipping in secret relief.

"How much time to do I have?" he answered rather bluntly.

"Less than twenty minutes. Listen to me ,Taro, the doctor says your EDR isn't registering. It's been submersed too many times."

"What options does that give me?"

"The option is that you can make it," Karma stated, not giving anyone room to debate, "You have to stay focused on maintaining control while hydroplaning."

Taro nodded and punched the nitrox once more, his car igniting in flames as he tore along curves and dips in the track. The trip was a blur as Rivited ate every inch of the track before it. Karma's voice and the rumble of the car were all that guided him as Taro fixed a sharp gaze on the orange arrows, only barely glancing at the sea walls around him. With glaring skill, he pushed his car in to new realms of speed as he glided over water and down steep drops and gravity-heavy hills. The tension was high everywhere as the racers gathered in the observatory to watch the nerve-wracking feed and others joined where they could near speakers to listen with held breath. Everything was a blur to them as Taro took to the test of the realm with ease. Karma's eyes never left the Rivited's dash cam, but she could feel her heart beat with every single second lost as the timer counted down past fifty seconds. The last few seconds were harrowing as everyone watched the last leg of the race wind down, Taro never slowing and never skidding across the water tops. The Rivited flashed back into reality with just its bumper shorn off as the portal collapsed on the cheering Acceledrome.

Larissa leaned on the oblong table in the observatory, eyes focused on the blacked out viewscreens. That had been a close call and all alliances put aside, she was glad to see Taro safe. A life lost was a life lost, no matter how anyone put it, but luckily the Maniac was here to stay. Yells of excitement rang around her as Monkey jumped off the table with glee and went rushing out the door to who-knows-where. Nolo and Vert were the only others in the observatory besides Tork who was busy leaving the room too. Nolo's comment on Taro's skills in the realm surprised Larissa, but she shrugged off her prejudices. Maybe there was more to Nolo than he let on besides the hot-headed show he always put on to buff up his rep as defacto-Teku leader. The excitement was palpable outside the observatory as the Maniacs celebrated, leaving the Teku to murmur amongst themselves of the events.

Larissa rose off the table and paced towards the wide window, her front bathed in gold light of the Wheel before her. Her eyes scanned the dispersed parties below and they fell on a particular duo that could be seen arguing. It seemed that Markie was keen on finishing what he started in the realm and Kurt was fighting back this time. The brunette rubbed her temples with a sigh as she turned away from the rabble with thoughts of trying to settle the dispute once and for all. One thing she was growing tired of was the constant fighting between the two and the voice in her head kept screaming for her to fix it. Larissa found herself so absorbed in her own mini-war that she didn't register another person in the room. It wasn't until she had flat-out looked up in time to catch herself from running into him. Vert didn't look her way as the brunette slipped to a stop just a few feet from him. His mind was elsewhere completely as he watched his teammates move out across the tarmac to their garage.

"Vert?" Larissa wondered, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" he responded, blinking in surprise, "Oh, um…yeah...just fine."

"Really?"

"I'm just a little out of it. Racing in the realm kind of did me in…I think I'm gonna head off to my room to relax…" Vert huffed, pushing his hands into his pockets as he looked away.

"It's still kind of early. You're not gonna skip out on dinner are you?" Larissa asked, head tilted as she hooked her arms behind her back.

"I don't know…maybe."

Vert's voice faded as he hung his head slightly, blue eyes studying Larissa through his drooped bangs. She stared at him for a moment before scrunching her eyebrows together in worry. Taking a more direct approach, she pushed the subject further and wanted to know if something was bothering him. Gulping past the knot in his throat, Vert shook his head fervently, eyes avoiding hers as he denied being upset over anything. Larissa took in the nervous gestures with a sigh and stepped closer, quipping quietly that he could talk to her if something was wrong, but she wouldn't push him to do it. Vert paused as he met her concerned gaze and he felt his shoulders droop slightly in self-reproach as she stared back at him. It was a short moment before he worked up the courage to accept her invitation of a friendly ear, but he wasn't in the mood for a heart-to-heart just yet.

Larissa gave Vert a soft smile of gratitude as the two stood somewhat close, the gap less than an arm-length's away. As their words faded, so did Larissa's awareness of everything she was risking in this little situation she had found herself in. The air between the two was tense as they shifted awkwardly, not sure what to say or what to do next. Vert seemed to be the one taking any initiative as the blonde bent forward slightly, his eyes locked with Larissa's as she felt her face grow warm beneath his stare. She responded involuntarily as her face titled towards his and her eyelids drooped in a languid daze. They were inches apart when a gruff cough broke the tension and Larissa snapped back, face burning as her eyes raced over to take in the sight of a watchful Dr. Tezla. He bore an insightful smirk across his face and a lone eyebrow popped up from his sunglasses in question.

Larissa shifted nervously from one foot to another before casually dismissing herself from the situation with a pathetic excuse: car to be tuned up, tires rotated, etc. With her heart hammering out of her chest, the brunette tried to keep an even pace as she fled out the doors, but she couldn't hold out on running straight back to the Teku garage. The Skyliner seemed like a beacon of safety as she slipped past its length and took refuge behind the vehicle. In a state of shock, Larissa sank to the ground and leaned against the rear tire, breathing heavily as she processed everything. She wasn't dreaming, that was for sure, as she pinched herself repeatedly. Sitting back with an angry sigh, Larissa stared off into space as she chided herself thoroughly.

"Stupid…stupid, stupid, stupid!" she groaned, beating a fist against her forehead, "Why did I do that? Why didn't I just leave when I had the chance? I can't believe that I almost just…and Vert…gah, I am so stupid!"

Larissa fell silent as she rubbed the sore spot on her forehead, mind locked up in anger and only half-listening to the world around her. Elsewhere in the Acceledrome's medbay, Pork Chop listened fully to the sound of his own heart on the monitors. It was relaxing to say the least, but the feeling wasn't there to last as the mammoth of a Maniac kept focusing back on his worn memories, each event stained with a fear he never allowed himself to admit. Being a rough and tough truck hauler made being emotional difficult and so he stewed in his grief for the next few minutes before a familiar voice broke the air. Monkey beamed at his large friend and moved into the medbay slowly at first as he asked the question Pork Chop dreaded. The buff Maniac didn't answer at first as he laid his head back on to the pillows with a sigh. Monkey didn't feel deterred though as he came up on Pork's side and gazed down at his friend in concern.

"What's eating ya, Pork Chop? I've never seen you freeze up like that before…" he observed timidly.

"I don't like water, alright? Never have, not sure I ever will," Pork answered, frustration bubbling.

"How can you not like water?" Monkey prodded, arms folded, "I know cats don't like water, but you're not a cat…so…"

"I'm afraid of water!" Pork Chop bellowed, frustrated beyond belief with his friend's rambling.

"Well, why?"

"…ever since my daddy drowned when I was a little boy…"

Monkey fell silent as he watched his friend, but then an idea snapped into his head and the squirrelly mechanic couldn't resist. With an understanding nod, he reminded Pork Chop that he wasn't alone. Everyone in the world was afraid of something, including Monkey. In fact, the mechanic pointed out, he was afraid of almost everything. The joking words of comfort were enough to draw a chuckle from Pork Chop as he regarded his small companion with a thankful grin. Monkey beamed once again, his carefree attitude bubbling over as he changed the subject to something that would both interest them and set their minds at ease for once. It had been a long day for everyone as the western skies were painted in a deep red with the sun sinking into its vast ocean of stone. Rest and repairs seemed to be on everyone's minds as the Acceledrome teemed with the buzz of tools and talk.

Shirako danced to his music, headphones wailing as techno poured out of them and the beat only got faster as he downloaded more from the internet as he moved. The tech junkie sauntered past the Skyliner as Larissa picked herself up off the floor and he nodded at her in hello with a smirk before bobbing off in the direction of the mess hall. The brunette stared after him for a second before deciding to make use of her time by running diagnostics on her car. Working was the only way she could think straight and there was too much going on in her head to risk going down to dinner early. If she was late, so be it and it clicked in her head that if she was late, the mess hall would be nearly empty when she went down. Less people meant less awkwardness and a quiet meal. Liking the odds, she got straight to work. Hours flew by as she finally emerged from beneath the hood, face scrawled with oil and sweat, but covered by a satisfied smile. Stripping off her jacket, Larissa welcomed the cool air against her bare arms. She tied the jacket around the waist of her tank top and looked longingly in the direction of the mess hall.

Guessing the time, she put the evening at about 10:30 and decided to finally pop into the eating area for a silent munch and then off to bed. Her steps echoed in the empty garage and almost sounded eerie in the metallic hallway leading to the racers' eating area. Pushing the door open with a cautious hand, Larissa peered in and only caught sight of three other people: Taro, Nolo, and Lani. Breathing easier, she stepped fully into the mess hall and approached the table lined with the dregs of dinner that hadn't been mauled to scraps already. A small plate of chicken and green beans was enough for her as she pulled up a seat at the end of the Teku table. Larissa wasn't more than halfway finished when Markie pushed through the hall's doors and she paused, fork in mouth, as he slowed slightly; hand still on one of the doors. She gulped down the half-eaten chicken and set her fork down, skin prickling under his gaze. Markie broke the stare and passed her without a single word said.

The tension was palpable as Lani cleaned her plate and left, Nolo trailing behind as they talked. The large room felt suffocating to Larissa as she stared down at her plate, her appetite having turned sour. The brunette refused to leave though as she promised herself to not run out just because Wylde had showed up. If she broke that vow, she was only confirming the truth that she was purposely avoiding him. She wouldn't give anyone that satisfaction and therefore it kept her glued to the bench for over twenty minutes. The night ticked by slowly as her food grew cold and the banter of the two Maniacs behind her had died. Larissa's resolve nearly slipped as Taro took his turn to head off to bed, leaving the young racers alone and agonizingly aware of each other. With a heavy sigh, Larissa peeked over her shoulder and caught Markie's eye, for once not hidden behind sunglasses.

"Don't you think it's time to stop avoiding this?" he piped up suddenly, "You look like you're gonna snap."

"I'm not avoiding it…I'm just trying to figure how to approach it," Larissa defended herself, turning around so that she could see his face.

"It's easy. All you have to do is talk to me."

"Yeah, but every time we talk, we can't stay civilized…there's just so much bad blood between us, I feel like I'm drowning in it."

"And you don't think I feel the same way? It kills me just a little more every time I see you and can't ever get in close to settle things. Maybe it'd be easier if you stopped hanging around with those Teku trash so much-"

"They're not trash, Wylde," Larissa interjected, temper flaring slightly, "Those are my friends and I'd appreciate it if you quit talking like that."

"Friends? Since when have you gotten all buddy-buddy with those wannabes?" Markie pondered, frowning slightly.

"Okay, seriously? Did I not just ask you to knock off the insults? And you say I'm avoiding the subject…"

"I'm not avoiding anything! You changed the subject when you decided to defend the Teku!"

"Ugh, this is getting us nowhere, Wylde. Lets just leave them out of this before I have to drag your so-called 'friends' into it too."

"Now you're hating on the Maniacs?" Markie scoffed, "Just what do you have to say about them?"

"Nothing at all, except I think some of them give the impression of crooks and thugs, that's all," Larissa bridled, crossing her arms.

"Sounds like you've been talkin' to Kurt…that's all he ever says about the Maniacs."

"For your information, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Even your brother is and even me."

"Those Teku really got you dialed in, don't they? You let 'em brainwash ya!"

"This has nothing to do with them! This spat is mine and yours!"

"That's not what that blonde punk seems to think," Markie jibed, eyes narrowing as he watched Larissa's reaction.

"You leave him out of this, Markie," Larissa warned, tone dark.

"Hmph, it seems like I've struck a nerve at last. Is he supposed to be your new boy toy? Are you gonna screw with him like you did me?"

"Go to hell!"

Larissa felt her face flush red with anger as she stared down Markie, her blue eyes brimming with red-hot hate. She clenched her trembling hands to her sides and her throat felt dry as she tried to swallow pass the knot in the muscle. Not being able to control herself, Larissa barged out of the mess hall and sought the only haven she had as she dashed into her small dorm. She was sure she had created a ruckus as she had flown through the hall, but Larissa didn't care as she punched the autolock on her sliding door. It clicked softly and the room was silent as Larissa huddled onto the bed, breath seething as she buried her face into the pillow with a frustrated groan.


	22. SOS Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own hot wheels!**

**A/N: Salutations my dear readers! Nightwillow7 back :) Make sure to stay caught up on my little author's notes because I can give away important stuff up here as well as responses to any and all reviews. Like I said before, this chapter is to deepen the character interactions, but I'm not sure if the next realm with be in Ch. 8…it might be Ch. 9 or even Ch. 10 instead because I had a few ideas. Anyways, I bet I really stirred up the hornet's nest with that little moment between Larissa and Vert and then the fight between Markie and Larissa, am I right? Well, be prepared for more anarchy!**

**To "Anon": **_Thank you for your input and I'm glad to know you enjoyed the backstory :D Also, I have a question for you: What MLP reference did I make exactly? Because I wasn't aware that I had…_

**To "****AkibaraLatina****": **_I'm so glad that I got that reaction from you! That is the kind of emotion I've been hoping for. I'm not pushing for Markie bashing, but I'm glad I got my point across! Thanks for reading!_

**To "ashbringer36": **_You have no idea how much your review made my day. I've been in such a rut lately about what to do with this fic and I really needed a motivator there. I'll keep your suggestion in mind about Larissa forming a close friendship with one of the girls; possibly Karma, but I'm wary to go down that road. I do not want to make her seem too OOC, but Lani seems like such a cliché choice to me. Oh well! Lastly, I am actually excited to share my idea of what happened to the previous racers and am happy to say there will be official, but brief appearances of them!_

**Side Note: Holy Toledo! I managed to find a 4-pack of the Acceleracers series! Now I don't have to worry about not being able to continue this fic if the ones on youtube ever got taken down!**

**That's all for now, onto the story!**

**SOS Chapter 7**

Larissa fell into a dull sleep, her mind restless with angry dreams and blurred events. Her cell phone glowed in the palm of her hand as the digital numbers flashed towards two in the morning. She'd been asleep for a good three and a half hours and there was no stirring from the trap of exhaustion that she'd fallen into. Not even the sound of whispered voices outside her door would rouse the brunette. On the other side of the locked door, the hallway lights burned mutely and cast dark shadows on the walls of anything that passed. Wylde paced along the corridor, hand trailing across the cool, metal wall. He kept a dark scowl glued to his face as he moved away from the dorms, his voice low as he mumbled something to himself. The garages were empty, the hum of the overhead lights almost loud in the large open expanse of tarmac and vehicle. Wylde stared indifferently at the Spinebuster as he picked up a tool kit and meandered over towards it, sliding beneath the vehicle with ease. The routine maintenance was monotonous at best as his mind began to wander; sinking into the void of a memory he'd been hoping to forget…

"_Aw, come on Rissa, don't do this," Markie implored, circling the girl to cut off her path, "Why do you gotta leave?"_

"_I just do, Markie…it's too weird right now," Larissa answered, not meeting his gaze as she hefted a box to her car._

"_What if we promise to just forget it ever happened? We can go back to the good times we had and it'll be like that night never happened-"_

"_No! Just no…pretending isn't going to make either one of us feel better…"_

"_But you're leaving! Aren't you just pretending to yourself that you can get away from this by running?"_

_Larissa paused as she settled the box into her car's trunk, mind processing his words as Markie fell silent behind her. Sighing inwardly, she turned to him with a look full of regret, her words bitter as she spoke them, "Maybe…but that's all the make-believe I can take right now…please just let me go…"_

Wylde stiffened slightly as the thorns of the memory stuck him harshly. Rolling out from underneath the Spinebuster, he sat idly and let the wrench clank back into its respective place inside the tool case. Irritated and tired, he rose unsteadily and decided to take a walk around the Acceledrome to try and clear his head. His short trek brought him up to the observatory, its bird's-eye view giving him many things to focus on. Wylde, with nothing else to do, settled into one of the leather chairs and propped his feet up on the table as he decided to get comfortable for the time being. He leaned far back in the chair and cast a blank look at the large window overlooking the Acceledrome's interior. Immediately his mind began to humor vague thoughts of why he was even out of bed in the first place.

It hadn't been more than twenty minutes after Larissa had run out on him that the Maniac had decided to go to bed himself, but even when he had gotten around to laying down on the wall-mounted mattress, no amount of exhaustion was going to stifle his thoughts. So he mostly spent the hours staring angrily at the ceiling or strangling the pillow beneath his head. No amount of activity would put him to sleep and so at last he just gave up and retreated to the only place that might induce his exhaustion. His fingers drummed dully against the material of his pants and Markie whistled a short tune just to break the silence. Letting his feet slip off the table, he spun the leather chair around and caught sight of movement down below near the Maniac garage.

Eyes narrowing behind his trademark shades, Wylde edged closer to the observatory's windows trying to get a good view of who it was. The person was too small to be any of Taro or Tork, but the posture wasn't hunched enough to be Monkey. His fingers curled into a fist and he ran the other hand over them, cracking each knuckle slowly. Wylde's lip curled into a snarl, red flags popping up immediately as he guessed the intruder to be Teku. Not sparing further thought, he drifted back towards the stairwell and took two at a time in order to cut the intruder off. A free hand closed around a discarded wrench as Markie boldly sauntered into the bright lights of the garage. He was just past the Maniacs' border when he spotted the supposed saboteur. He hadn't moved the entire five minutes it had taken Wylde to get down the stairs. Pausing beside the bumper of the Rollin' Thunder, the young Maniac hesitated to see just was Nolo would do. The Teku leader's face was skewed what looked like a wary anger. Was he coming over there to leave Tork a message? It did look like that, but Nolo barely moved towards the other cars. He almost looked skittish; like a child debating on whether he might get caught if he's about to do something wrong.

Markie was close to stepping out of his hiding spot when Nolo swore out loud and stalked off angrily to the Teku garage. His hand was clasped around something hanging from his neck, but Wylde didn't get a chance to see what. Straightening his back, the Maniac let the wrench hang loosely at his side for a moment. His brown eyes peered at it curiously as an icy feeling coiled deep inside him. Just what exactly was he going to do with the wrench if Nolo had decided to cross their invisible line? Fresh out of prison, Wylde wouldn't have thought twice about using the tool on someone, but it had been almost a year since his release and now…he wasn't so sure; not that he would ever admit that to anyone. Markie let the tool slip from his grasp as he suddenly found bed so much more appealing than he had half an hour ago. Stepping over the fallen wrench, he forced himself to forget about it as he made a beeline for the dorms.

Nolo paced in front of the Synkro, eyes darting back and forth between the floor and the car. He mumbled something in Spanish as he rubbed a thumb across the broken "T" of his necklace. He barely stifled another swear as he slammed a fist down on the car's hood, his fingers only smudging the Synkro's latest waxing. His anger boiled up again, but faded slowly as he traced the blue Teku insignia with a tired gaze. The sporty decal had actually been his idea when Tone had formed the street crew. Nolo had been about eleven at the time and loved to watch his brother hard at work customizing cars. There had been no end in sight to the extravagance of the Pasaro cars. Tone usually let his little brother tag along when he had a job and it was the one memory Nolo clung to the most.

_The garage was quiet, its door propped open with a car sitting half in and half out. A steady hiss penetrated the lazy afternoon as Tone moved an airbrush carefully along the side of his latest project. The vehicle gleamed brightly in the sun, its golden pallor almost blinding. Not far away, Nolo sat on a work bench, his legs swinging back and forth as he thumbed through an auto magazine. His eyes grew large as he took in the different decals to decorate cars with and he flashed toothy grins at the ones he admired most. Dog-earing the pages he wanted, Nolo jumped down from the bench and hollered at his older brother excitedly._

"_Tone!" he exclaimed, nearly tripping over a paint can in his hurry._

"_One sec, little bro. Let me finish this," Tone replied, eyes narrowed in concentration as he brushed on another streak of blue, "That about does it. Now what do you want?"_

"_I think you should put this on your car! And use that blue you've got now," Nolo pointed to a familiar design circled with black marker._

_Tone pulled off the surgical mask covering his jaw and took the magazine from his little brother. Eying the design, he stroked his chin in brief thought before regarding Nolo. He looked so hopeful, brown eyes searching for approval. Tone glanced back towards the design, an idea popping into his head. Forming a frown, he handed the magazine back to Nolo and shook his head with a sigh, "I don't know. It looks like a lot of work; maybe too much, especially since we would have to special order the outline from the catalogue."_

_Nolo's face fell as he gripped the magazine's edges. Feeling almost crushed, he looked away from his older brother sadly when he felt a hearty squeeze of his shoulder. Tone had bent down to his brother's level with a laugh, a smile replacing the frown. He let the joke sink in as he asked if Nolo wanted to have the honors of helping him sketch out the decal and eventually even paint it onto the Synkro himself. Nolo nodded happily as he joined his brother by the work bench, spewing off ideas for the design as they stood next to each other in the afternoon light._

Nolo smiled at the memory, not realizing just how tightly he was holding onto Tone's broken necklace. He pried his sweating palm from the gold chain, a red imprint forming near the center. He stared past the Teku symbol at his reflection and saw just how tired he looked. Glancing at the lit up Maniac garage, he felt anger nip at his thoughts, but he decided not to follow his gut instinct. There was time to settle things later and he wanted to do things on his terms when he was alert enough to go through with it. Tucking the precious memory away in his thoughts, Nolo patted the Synkro's hood just once.

"One day…one day," he whispered, "Things are gonna get better. I promise you, Tone."


	23. SOS Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HOT WHEELS**

**A/N: I'm not gonna lie. This chapter was way overdue. So here it is folks. By the way, I'm also lacking a Microsoft office so future chapters might be shorter because I am writing off of Wordpad and there are no page breaks :P**

**Anyone feel like making requests, predictions or even have questions? Leave me a PM or a review and I'll respond when I post a new chapter!**

**SOS Chapter 8**

The next day came and with it...nothing. No alarm, no new portal, and no new Realm. There was a buzz of unspoken energy in the air that made everyone jumpy around each other; brimming for a fight. The atmosphere hummed with activity as repairs were made to every vehicle. It was almost ten in the morning when Larissa finally cracked her eyes open, mind foggy with sleep. Her head pounded as she sat up too fast, the dark room shielding her from more pain. She mumbled something under her breath as she stumbled off the bed, hand slapping around on the wall for the light switch. The bright fluorescents flared on, her sensitive eyes clamping shut in protest. With a pained hiss, she dimmed the lights in a swift motion, groaning aloud how it was too early in the morning for a migraine. She gathered herself together enough for a run through of brushing her teeth and hair, leaving her jacket crumpled on the floor as she slipped on her shades. The brunette stared in the mirror for a long moment, her brain finally catching up to her as she recalled her heated argument with Markie. A throb of pain beat behind her eyes as she leaned over the sink, nauseated and tired. There didn't seem to be an end in sight for their issue; something she was reluctant to go after again. She rolled her eyes, stretching the kinks out of her back as she stepped away from the sink for the door. It slid open with a puff of air and she squinted at the brightness of the lights before taking off for the garages.

The smell of gasoline and rubber hit her hard as she entered the Teku domain and she drifted off to the side, her migraine polluting everything around her. There was an argument going on somewhere, though she couldn't place who it was. She caught a glimpse of Kurt sitting in the Battle Spec, his head bent low over the steering wheel as he worked a screwdriver beneath it. Oddly enough, Karma was nearby with a red toolbox in hand, passing off the desired tools to her teammate when requested. They talked quietly, occasionally pointing across the tarmac to this or that as they debated. Larissa stared for a few seconds before making her way to her car. As soon as she got within a stride's reach of it, she regretted the decision as the previously ignored argument interrupted her thoughts of going back to bed. Nolo's voice carried over the drone of machinery and he sounded irate, but the next voice was skewed as a power drill went off behind them. Larissa scrubbed her face, opening the door to the Skyliner and sat down, wishing the two would take this up to the observatory or somewhere more insulated for her to work. She heard footsteps and knew they were coming her way so there was no point in praying as she sat back and just grit her teeth in wait.

"You really seem like you're trying to get yourself killed out there Wheeler."

"For the last time, Nolo, I get it. I screwed up in the Water Realm. I'm sorry!"

"You trashed a perfectly good ride! You trying to prove something to us?"

"Oh would you just drop it? I'm not bringing that into this. You're the leader of the Teku and I'm not gonna question it. Not anymore."

"Why did you?"

"Maybe I wanted to race some more, I don't know."

"So you think by pulling a stunt like that proves it?"

"I'm done talking about this Nolo."

"Tch, fine. Be that way."

The two broke apart, letting the subject crunch beneath their seperate steps like broken glass. Vert hesitated in his spot, watching after Nolo. His forehead wrinkled in an expression Larissa couldn't read as she watched the blonde wave his hand dismissively and leave the garage. She stared after him for a few seconds, his direction listing towards the dorms. She sighed aloud, rubbing her forehead gingerly. The brunette felt her back ease into the interior of the driver's seat, almost beckoning for her to sleep more and work off the headache. She gave in for a few seconds, her thoughts blurring in hazy puzzles. There seemed to be so much fighting around her and she didn't understand why. She expected a normal amount of rivalry from two street gang, but when it borderlined murder? Larissa started awake as she envisioned Markie going after Kurt in the Water Realm and ramming his only brother off the track to be trapped in some alien realm like Taro almost was. She groaned aloud, blinking slowly as she laid her head on the steering wheel for a few seconds. The previous night's argument played back in her head over and over as she mentally beat her face. She shouldn't have ran; she should have talked it out with Markie. Her fingers curled reflexively out of anger as she looked up through the windshield to the Metal Maniac garage.

Her footsteps were decisive as she left the Teku behind and crossed that invisible line between the two street gangs. Larissa's presence startled more than a few of the Maniacs, who looked her up and down with a distaste and curiosity. She stopped to a halt beside the Spinebuster, examining it's chipped paint and flamed exterior. There was no sign of Wylde, but she could tell he'd been there, her foot kicking aside a dormant welding torch. She lifted her sunglasses for a second, squinting in pain at the car and then to the observant Maniac leader who lingered on the other side of garage. Tork squared his shoulders in question, but Larissa shook her head. She gestured to the car vaguely and her sunglasses to which Tork pointed upwards, his fingering zeroing in on the observatory. Larissa peeked up for a second, seeing the windows flashing with light from activated video screens. She turned back to Tork, nodding thanks before setting off for the stairs. The climb up was slow, her boots clunking on the steel steps. The keypad came into view, a red privacy light blinking on it. She regarded it only for a second, before hitting the release switch, the door sliding open. Larissa froze in the doorway, her mind going blank of everything she wanted to say as if seeing her former best friend for the first time.

Markie sat at the end of the oblong table, his hand clenched around a remote that controlled the looped feeds on the vid screens. His sunglasses were folded on the table and for once she could see just how tired he looked as he studied the Water Realm recordings. He leaned forward at one point as she watched, the tapes playing out his chase with Kurt. The observatory echoed the sounds of clashing metal and the terrible screech of evading rubber on pavement. Larissa cringed as she tried to ignore the vid, her hand on the wall as she stepped forward slowly. She'd gotten as close as the table when the tape paused, his form tensing up as Wylde realized he wasn't alone. He circled slowly in the leather chair, his brown eyes flashing in some foreign emotion as he registered who it was. Larissa felt her hope drop as a hard frown plastered his face, eyes narrowing. Her reception was a lot colder than she had expected, but she swallowed past the lump in her throat finally.

"What do you want?" he asked, beating her to the punch.

"I wanted to talk. I shouldn't have blown up like I did," Larissa bit her lip, leaning on the wall as the door slid shut behind her.

"Yeah," was all he said, leaning forward in his chair, "Before you even go further, if this turns into anything to do with Kurt, I'm done. I'm sick of hearing about that goody-goody and how he's got you looped round his fingers."

"I'm not looped around anyone's fingers, for your information. This is about us, Mark; not your brother, not the Metal Maniacs or Teku, and especially not about Vert."

"Uh huh, riiiigghhht. So spill then."

"Fine. I think we both can agree just how awkward it is seeing each other after two years."

"Well you were free, but I spent my vacation in prison."

"I told the cops I didn't want to press charges," Larissa said hurriedly.

"Prison was Kurt's fault, not yours," Wylde responded with a dry laugh, "And I ain't talkin' about that."

Larissa grew quiet as she watched a flurry of things pass in his eyes before he looked away, back to the paused screens. He gripped the remote tightly as he fast forwarded them in silence. He stilled every few frames. She wasn't sure what he was looking for, but every rewind seemed to suggest he was caught in an echo of some sort. The vids fuzzed every few seconds and she knew that he was rewatching his attempts to run Kurt off the track. Her voice came back to her in a faint rush; the words flying out before she could catch them. _Are you trying to kill your brother?_ She flinched at the unmasked accusation in them and she saw Wydle stiffen in his seat. He swiveled around, eying her darkly from across the room. Larissa held her position by the door as he rose jarringly from the seat. The second she realized what had happened, she was ducking sideways as the remote flew past her head. It cracked against the wall, sprinkling plastic and batteries across her back. He was there in a second, pulling her up by the arm. His face was twisted in a sharp anger and Larissa held her breath, fearing what he might do.

"Is that really what you think?! That I'm so jealous, I'd be willing to commit murder? I may hate Kurt for a lot of things: taking you from me, abandoning me to rot behind bars, but not enough for that."

"Markie...would you listen to what you're saying? Kurt doesn't own me; he never took me away from you."

"Then why did you get in the car with him that night? Why would you leave me for him?" Wylde yelled, desperate for an answer.

"I don't know!" Larissa exclaimed, pushing him away, "I don't know...you were so jealous. I just wanted to have fun with you and him."

"You're my best friend! Of course I'm gonna act possessive!"

"Best friends don't act possessive, Mark. You liked me more than you should have and it got carried away."

"Sorry if my feelings aren't good enough for you, miss princess."

"That's not fair! I cared more about you than Kurt, but you just kept pushing for something more. I didn't want that!"

"Then you should have said that!"

"Markie..."

"Stop calling me that! It's Wylde to you like everyone else."

"So now I'm like everyone else? What happened to 'best friend'?"

"You pretty much slammed that door in my face when you assumed I'd be dumb enough to sleep with your drunk ass."

Wylde glared at her icily, letting the insult sit in the air between them. Larissa kept her mouth shut, her migraine spiking intensely just then as she searched for a response. Nothing came to the brunette as they continued to square off. Her blue eyes quivered once, searching his face for an ounce of the person she once knew. Wylde practically begged her to say something in return, his brow hitched low and stormy gaze testing her resolve. Larisssa bridled under his stare, but she felt herself slipping away. She inched for the sealed door, finger sliding along the wall behind her for the release trigger. Wylde was there in an instant when he caught her intentions. A set fist punched the panel beside her arm, the door sliding open with a hiss. He gestured pointedly to the waiting exit, eyes narrowing. She stared at it for a moment, to stunned to reply until he all but threw her from the room. She stumbled out from the angry shove and she spun around only to find the privacy light blinking once more in silence. Larissa stared at it for a long time, unable to move as it flashed on and off.


	24. SOS Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hot Wheels!**

**A/N: Hey everyone, Nightwillow7 here! I have great news. This here is the second to last chapter before we dive back into **_**Speed of Silence. **_**I hope you're prepared for a big unveiling in the future :) Now onto responding to the fans!**

**To "Legionary Prime": **_I will reveal at least that I don't have plans for Larissa to earn her own Accelecharger because I am slipping her in as an unobstructive OC. I want the movie plot to flow as smoothly as possible like she was actually in it from the get-go._

**To "Ashbringer36": **_I'm afraid I can't reveal anything concerning Larissa's entry into future realms because I don't want to spoil anything. Sorry!_

**To "CallidoraBellatrix": **_Well if you have so many ideas for an Acceleracers fanfiction, why don't you shoot me a PM and I'll help you sort through them and get things rolling!_

**SOS Chapter 9**

To say she felt angry was an understatement as Larissa polished the hood of the Skyliner once more until it was practically a mirror beneath her fingers. She circled the vehicle, attacking any scratch or smudge she saw; just looking for some way to buff away the emotions writhing in her. She threw the rag down with a huff, kicking over her can of polish a moment later. It went skittering across the garage, spinning in testy circles as it rolled away. That earned her a few wary glances from the other drivers, many of them unsure why she made her act this way. The only one who knew was Kurt; who she had gone to immediately afterwards for some kind of sanity check. The brunette checked and rechecked the air pressure in her car tires, pinching at the rubber rather sadistically. She said not a word to anyone else as she deposited her tools haphazardly onto a workbench. She wiped her hands across her pants, untying her jacket from her waist and pulling it on. Larissa looked through the garage with a sigh, stalking off back to the dorms. She disappeared into hers, engaging its autolock feature. She collapsed onto the bed, rubbing her eyes sluggishly.

She looked at her cellphone, checking the date. The numbers brightened at her pushing thumb and she read each figure with distaste. She'd been avoiding nearly everyone for a day and a half, refusing to even mention her run-in with Wylde. It made her stomach churn when she recalled the venom he spoke to her with. She groaned, pulling her pillow over her face as she let her phone fall back into her bed. How could she fix this? She had been over nearly every scenario in her head and every way ended the same. With a cry of frustration, she threw the pillow off, sitting up in her bunk instead. Larissa cursed out loud hoping someone would hear her, come in, and tell her she was just having a bad dream. Instead, the door remained locked and sealed mockingly, making the brunette glower at it with a sour eye. She checked the time on her phone once more and saw that it was nearly seven at night. She chewed on her lip, weighing her options as she glanced at the door. Dinner was going on, but she wasn't even close to being hungry. She just wanted someone to talk to.

Larissa took a few minutes, changing into a pair of black shorts and a white-long sleeved shirt. She tied her hair up, pulling back the top layer while the bottom layer was left to splay around her neck and shoulders. Toeing on a pair of sneakers, the brunette emerged from her room with a reticent flick of her head. The long corridor was empty of the other racers; something she was thankful for as she headed further down the hall. She mentally counted off the doors until she came to the one she had planned on. With a hesitant breath, she rapped her knuckles against the cold metal. There was a faint echo from behind the door and she waited for a few more seconds. There wasn't an immediate answer and she had nearly decided to knock again when it slid aside. A rather haggard looking Vert emerged from the other side, eyes narrowed with fading sleep. He covered his mouth as he yawned, mumbling her name confusedly. Larissa smiled faintly, apologizing if she interrupted his nap, but he only shrugged. He seemed much more awake as he blinked, venturing towards the reason she knocked. She stared at the floor, attempting a shrug as she asked if he would mind going on a walk with her.

Vert was silent for a few seconds before he nodded with a smile. He disappeared for a few seconds, his shoes on and jacket in tow. They started off down the hall, rounding the corner and walking out into the garage. They ventured through the different Teku cars parked on their side of the Acceledrome, heading for the ascending stairwells. The chill night air made goosebumps sneak up her legs as they reached the top of the rocky plateau concealing Tezla's hidden base. Larissa sidled up to the plateau's edge, peering over it from their dizzying height. Vert joined her, leaning against the edge instead as he pointed his face towards the indigo sky. A thousand stars were visible within the blink of an eye as he looked up. The desert wind ruffled his hair as he finally regarded his silent companion. Larissa's face was lost to the shadows as she continued to peer down at the canyon below. He brown hair fluttered in the breeze around her searching eyes, still unsure why she had even gone to Vert in the first place. He didn't need to hear about her problems any more than the fact of him being involved now. Her thoughts paused, slowing to a frozen stand. She felt a gentle weight against her left arm and she finally looked up, Vert now shoulder to shoulder with her as they gazed over the edge.

"Something on your mind?" he ventured, a casual tone slipping out.

"I think you already know," she said, not bothering to give names. She wasn't allowed too apparently.

"It's not fun; y'know, having fallouts with friends."

"How do you know?"

"I had one not too long ago. My closest friend, Alec Wood; he was in the World Race with me. We won together on the same team, just like he'd been suggesting to me for awhile. I used to want to go off on my own all the time, thinking I could tackle the world without help. He taught me that you can't always win on your own."

"And?" Larissa baited.

"I learned that the hard way. When I was the Wave Ripper leader, I was forced into knowing what it was like to depend on others and what it's like for others to depend on you. It's a lot to swallow in just a few days."

"Well if this Alec Wood taught you this, how did you have a falling out? Sounds like a pretty sane life lesson to me."

"Apparently, I didn't meet the expectations he had in mind. I was coming off the high of winning the Race and I got a big head. I wanted to race even more; prove it wasn't a fluke or beginner's luck. That's how I got in touch with the Teku."

"So you knew Tone?"

"I never actually talked to the guy," Vert admitted, cupping his chin in thought. "Kurt offered me an 'in.' I got really excited and told Alec that I was joining a racing team. He wasn't too thrilled when he found out that team was a street crew, a gang, and Kurt had been the one to invite me."

"Kurt and Alec didn't get along?"

"Don't get me wrong; Kurt's a great guy and all, but it had only been a few months since the Race. No one really liked Kurt because he double-crossed us working for Gelorum. I didn't fully trust him, but it got me what I wanted. Alec told me not to do it. I told him to not worry so much; that I knew what I was doing."

"This is where it gets bad, I'm guessing."

"Yep. Alec wouldn't let the subject drop and I was real tired of him being on my case. So the last time we spoke, I snapped; told him to mind his own business and that I didn't need him around if he was gonna keep doing this. I so stupidly fell into my old habit of being the solo-type and I lost a friend that day."

Vert stopped talking at that point, too focused on his own thoughts as Larissa kept a careful eye lined with his face. She felt unsure how to answer and the most she could do was look back towards the skyline with a sigh. A small part of her was glad that someone else understood what it was like to lose a best friend despite the different circumstances. He shifted next to her, his head now resting on his folded arms across the edge of the plateau. Larissa hung hers for a second, tired of obsessing over her past and for a second she found reprieve as a quick idea sparked inside her brain. She bumped Vert's shoulder, getting his attention as she pointed towards the sky. Her finger trailed across the stars, connecting them in quaint memories they both shared. Vert rose, following her guiding hand as she told him what her home had been like with it's endless beaches and trillions of stars to pick and choose from over them at nighttime. He smiled for a second, gesturing in return to a certain patch of light that he always liked the best. He laughed as he recalled going on a camping trip with his parents and how his mother had told him that it was a patch of heaven leaking through the sky to earth. His gaze seemed to sparkle as he spoke of his late mother and Larissa couldn't help but listen with a soft smile.

Her legs were numb by the time they decided to return inside for the night, but she was warm enough as she laughed along with Vert once more. They stopped along the Acceledrome's catwalk, talking quietly in the late hour. She yawned tiredly, stretching her arms for emphasis. Vert mimicked her motions, claiming it was time to hit the sack for the both of them. Larissa agreed with a certain reluctance, disappearing down the stairwell first. She caught the tail-end of his footsteps as they reached the dorms. She turned, waving good night as she slipped inside her room. Undoing her hair, she kicked off her shoes and went through her brief bedtime routine before climbing onto the bunk. The lights dimmed on command and she snuggled into the pillow, her face pulling upwards in a tired grin. She slept deeply that night, barely waking with a stir as night became morning soon enough. She buried herself in the light blanket, ignoring her alarm for once with the hopes of milking the peaceful rest for all its worth.

A whining buzz filled her ear as she finally cracked an eye open. Larissa leaned up drowsily on her elbow, glaring at her nagging phone that continued to rant for her to get up. It was always the third back up alarm that she hated the most if she was really that tired to sleep through the first two. Clicking it off, she shoved the annoying device into her bag. Keeping her previous clothes on, she just added a dark blue vest to the mix and did her hair up like the night before. Pulling her sneakers on, she padded out of her room with a slight bounce in her step, feeling refreshed that morning. The Acceledrome was quiet for once, most major repairs having been finally completed and now everything was just winding down to the superficial additions. Larissa paused along the tarmac, giving the large golden image of the Wheel of Power a once-over. It floated there in empty space, quiet save for the hum of it's powerful energy field. It appeared dormant and she wondered if it would ever spin again. A part of her was itching to get back into the realms after having had just a taste of what they could do, but the rest of her just made her shake her head. The brunette felt like she was crazy for even wanting to go back in against larger than life robots who would rather see her as a stain on the road than beating them in a race.

Either way, she was content with the break they had and so she decided to explore the garage just a tad more. Only a few of the Teku were present: Karma and Kurt were near the BattleSpec. They seemed pretty involved in their conversation, so Larissa didn't pry as she traipsed around other vehicles. Lani appeared a moment later, carrying a heavy toolbox towards Synkro. Nolo wasn't present, but there was a good chance he wasn't too far behind the mechanic. Larissa spied Vert on the outer edge of the garage, hard at work on a small motorcycle. He seemed intent on his project so Larissa only watched for a moment. The paint job seemed off for a Teku vehicle; the blunt purple so light it looked almost blue. It didn't look like much to her, but she just shrugged it off, assuming it was unfinished for the time being. The Teku leader strolled into sight just as the brunette was preparing to head to her own car. The only thing that gave her pause was Nolo purposefully cutting off her approach, flagging her down in the center of the garage. Confusion blotted out her bubbling mood immediately. She felt a knot in her stomach grow as she read the look on his face.

"Can I help you?" Larissa started off slowly, eying the Teku leader with a cramped curiosity.

"I've never been too open with people I don't know," Nolo answered rather frankly, crossing an arm across his chest as he propped an elbow in his hand.

"Um...I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not."

"Don't be. Kurt's told me things about you and everyone else seems to get along with you just fine."

"I don't make it a habit of starting trouble if I can avoid it, Nolo."

"You can say that now, but we'll see. Seeing as you've chosen us over the Maniacs-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Let me stop you right there. I'm not picking sides and that's that," Larissa interjected hurriedly, already sure of where Nolo was going to say.

"Then why are you here? If you're not one of us or a Maniac, why are you involved?" Nolo bit back, ruffled slightly at her interruption.

"Because I, uh, was there when...you were?"

"And just what's your plan then? Are you going to drive and expect to get bailed out if something goes sideways? I won't risk my crew for someone I can't trust. As much as I hate to say it, Vert told me what happened in the swamp realm and how he nearly got pulled out with you by those vines; nearly doesn't cut it."

"The realms are unpredictable, Nolo. There's no way you can guarantee everyone's safety."

"So are you. I'm offering you a chance to join the Teku; really prove your mettle out there and then maybe I'll be more inclined to trust you."

"Forget it then. I would never get involved with a loose cannon team like the Maniacs and I'm not gonna be on the receiving end of them either. I'll take care of myself," Larissa said, placing a hand on her hip.

"I'll hold you to that promise then," Nolo exhaled hotly, looking her up and down.

Stepping aside, the brunette let the Teku leader pass without another word. His silence was enough for her. She blew out a puff of air, pushing aside her strewn bangs in a flurry. Unable to resist an eyeroll, Larissa headed for the observatory intending to blow off her foul mood somehow. The large meeting room was quiet and empty; just how she wanted it as she settled by the floorlength windows. She kept a loose hand on the guard rail stretching across the view, letting her blue eyes travel unfettered around the Acceledrome. The morning bustle was starting to kick in as she picked up the faint sounds of drills and engines down below. It was a familiar and pleasant sound, lulling her into a false sense of peace. Larissa remained there for almost an hour when her little haven was breached by the sound of the observatory door swooshing open. Her skin prickled in agitation, almost expecting it to be Wylde like before. She stayed still, counting to three slowly before turning fully to see who it was. Relief flooded her chest and her shoulders relaxed immediately when she saw that it was only Vert lingering awkwardly by the door instead. His hands were laced together in front of him and there was a peculiar look on his face. He looked like he was trying to decide something when Larissa waved him over. He was a lot quieter that morning, gazing between her and the windows.

"Something on your mind?" Larissa joked, quoting him from the night before.

"No, not really. Maybe," Vert muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Something happen between you and Nolo?"

"Ah, he just wants me join his little boy band. Um...I didn't mean it like that."

"Nah, it's cool. What'd you say?"

Larissa held her answer for a moment, catching a clipped tone in Vert's words. He wasn't looking at her just then, but his stiff posture told her he was expecting a certain answer. It wasn't the one he wanted as she had guessed if his drooped shoulders were any clue. He sounded a little disappointed when he asked why, but he didn't let the feeling linger in his voice. The brunette nearly replied on reflex that she didn't want to get involved, but she felt like that would be lying. She felt like a lead weight was rolling off her tongue as she admitted that the only reason she kept from choosing sides was because she feared making things worse. Markie was the real reason she had chosen to come after the Teku and Metal Maniacs. She saw a chance and blindly took it with the full hope of fixing everything. With a sigh, she sunk back against the glass, pressing her forehead against the sheer surface. She had never expected it to be impossible. It felt like she was grasping at sand; just trying to keep one handful of her past from slipping away. Vert was hesitant as he placed a friendly hand on her arm, trying to remind her to take a moment to just breathe. She didn't flinch away like he'd expected, but then again she never did around him.

He tried to take her mind off it, changing the subject when he had too. Larissa played along for the most part, answering his questions about family and hobbies. Reading books, writing, talking about what movies they like; it all seemed to finally draw her mind to his for a fleeting moment. They stood close, watching the golden shape of the Wheel flux occasionally or pointing out different things they had noticed about the Acceledrome. It was nice to start fresh, Larissa thought to herself as Vert kept talking. It was really nice to start fresh with a new face, a new...friend? Were they friends? He seemed to treat her like one, so why not see him the same way too? She turned some of the questions around on him, trying to get to know him as well. Everything was going smoothly until they were interrupted by the one person Larissa hadn't wanted to see. Wylde didn't utter a word as he drank in the image of Larissa leaning on the window railing, Vert directly next to her. Both of them were clearly shocked by his presence, but he only had eyes for the girl whose face was a jigsaw of guilt and surprise. Her mouth was open, lips parted in some forgotten explanation and he felt a terrible twinge in his chest as he took in how Vert's hand rested on her arm so casually, but in alarmingly caring way.

"I knew there was something going on with you two," Wylde finally said, not moving from his spot.

"This isn't what it looks like-" Larissa started.

"What do you want?" Vert intervened, cutting her off.

"I come up here to do my thinking. What's it to ya?"

"Doesn't mean anything to me as long as you're not up here to start something."

"My beef's with Larissa. You ain't got no business sticking your nose in it."

"What beef? Didn't you say so yourself that we were done last night?" Larissa cut in, standing straighter.

"We still are, but it pisses me off when you decide to drag others into it."

"She didn't drag me into anything. I asked and she told me the truth, Markie," Vert declared, glaring at the Maniac.

"Back off, Wheeler and don't call me that."

"I'm starting to want you to make me. Prove once and for all that you really are as tough as you say."

"Vert, slow down. Don't do something stupid," Larissa whispered, pulling him by the elbow.

"See, right there! I knew you were playing me by saying there was nothing going on with him. I'm tired of you playing with my feelings!"

"I'm not trying too, Markie! I've been trying to fix things ever since I got here, but you won't let me! You can't force me to like you just because you were jealous of Kurt."

"I was never jealous," Wydle growled, knowing she saw through his lie.

"Yes you were. Kurt was just a fad to me; another famous face to fall for and move on. You were the only constant in my life. Our friendship meant the world to me, Wylde and that one stupid night ruined everything."

"You thought I tried to sleep with you when you were drunk. That's something Kurt does, not me. Why would you say something like that?"

"Because I was scared, Markie! I woke up with the worst headache of the century. I smelled like beer and had Kurt's jacket on. I couldn't stop thinking that something had happened. I was hysterical and I jumped to conclusions with you."

"So you'd just assume I'd make a pass at you?"

"I knew you had feelings for me and when I woke up at your house, I assumed the worst," Larissa admitted, wringing her hands. "I'm so sorry..."

"It can't accept that. Not after all the crap you put me through those last weeks of school. You wouldn't even hear me out. I put a brick through your windshield and all that got me was you moving away to your sister's! There was no way I could explain to my parents or yours what happened."

"You don't have too because I did. It's why I haven't gone home in so long. My dad won't even speak to me and my mother doesn't look at me the same anymore. I could be dead and it wouldn't change anything."

Vert looked to her in mild discomfort, stunned by her words about her parents. He put as much question into his gaze as he could, but Larissa managed a shake of her head. Now was not the time as Wylde angrily paced beyond the two by the window. His storm became so great that he knocked over a chair out of rage. He had pulled his glasses off by that point, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly; just trying to digest everything she had said in a rush. His chocolate brown eyes full of hurt found hers and she was struck breathless by the amount of regret and betrayal she saw within them. She made a move to step towards him, a shaking hand reaching out when he snapped at her. He snarled for her try nothing with him in his volatile mood. The part that scorched him the most was when Vert pulled her back to his side, fully aware of the blonde's wary and searching gaze. Larissa barely protested, feeling every angry step of Markie's like a whip to the back. She had done this and now that everything was in the open, she understood how she should have left it alone. Following after Wylde like a guilty shadow had been a mistake. He cursed loudly, spewing every profanity he knew at heart until there was nothing left, but a raw and seething wound. He turned his back to them, gripping the table with white knuckles.

"Just go..." he snarled, voice a hoarse mumble.

"Alright. Alright...I'll go," Larissa conceded, her voice hollow. "I'm sorry for everything, Mark. And I mean that with every fiber of my body."

"Come on Larissa," Vert added, "The others are probably worried that we've been gone so long."

There was a very pregnant pause as Markie peered over his shoulder and repeated Vert's word with confusion, "Others?"

"The others; the Teku. What do you think I meant?"

"You...joined them?" the question poised to Larissa that time.

"What?" she responded, brow furrowing as she turned back to him from the doorway.

Markie didn't respond as he rose back to his full height, regarding the two with a very clipped emotion etched in his features. His eyes fell upon Vert who lingered only a foot or two from the door while Larissa studied what was happening. She repeated the short exchange in her head over a dozen times before the pieces fell into place and she raised a hand to her mouth in dread. He thought she had joined up with the Teku! It was clearly the final insult and so very far from the direction she had wanted things to go. Apparently her little motion was enough proof to convince Markie that he had caught her red-handed for once. He seethed once more, breath coming from his nose in strained currents. The anger found his hands, curling them into ready fists as he closed the gap faster than Larissa had expected. She braced herself for anything, clamping her eyes shut. She heard a loud thud from beside her and gasped aloud when she caught sight of Wylde slamming Vert against the wall by the collar of his jacket. Vert had ahold of Markie's wrists, attempting to pull him off when Larissa jumped into the fray.

She pulled at Wylde's shirt, hoping to find some way to stop things before they got out of hand. Markie let go of Vert temporarily to push her off and Vert took his opening, slamming a fist into Wylde's jawline. The Maniac reeled back, stunned by the blonde's attempt to defend himself. He rubbed it tenderly, checking for damage. When he was satisfied, he lunged without warning and got Vert across the face with his own fist. The blonde's back met the wall and he raised his fists warily, watching Markie. Wylde made another move to swing when Larissa jumped between them, holding her arms out. His hand barely grazed her chin, but she still felt it like a white-hot pain to her lower lip as her head snapped to the side. Markie stepped back out of shock, his arm dropping to his side. Larissa cupped her mouth with a hiss, staring at him with a cold, hard look. She wiped away the warmth she felt trickle down her chin and held her ground.

"Enough," she breathed, tone flat. "Vert, go out the door. Now."

"What about-"

"Just go. Please."

"Larissa..." Wylde said, standing still as he gazed at her.

"No. I get it. This is over. I'm not trying anymore, Mark. I wasn't sure if I could leave before, but now you've given me no choice."

Larissa kept her gaze as steady as possible as she took one step backwards. Open space was all she felt at her back as she stepped out the door to the observatory. The last thing she saw was the defeat in Markie's eyes as the entrance slid shut. She held her busted lip tenderly, wincing at the pain she could there and within her chest. Her face remained stone-cold as she walked down the stairs to the observatory. The brunette felt her facade cracking as she neared the second stairwell heading for the top of the plateau. Without a second thought, she bolted up the steps.


End file.
